


Reach For The Sky

by Flannel_and_Autism



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: Agender Character, Asthma, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Chatfic hell, Chatting & Messaging, Everyone Is Gay, Gen, Intentionally Bad Spelling & Grammar, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trans Female Character, Trans!Lisia, anxiety disorders, except brendan, hes the token cishet, nobody is nt or cishet, this isnt even a fanfic its just a bunch of chatfic cliches in a trenchcoat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-05-01 23:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 19,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19187221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flannel_and_Autism/pseuds/Flannel_and_Autism
Summary: (03:34AM) Lisia Alpha said: Ive seen enough chatfics to know where this is going.(03:34AM) Lisia Alpha changed the chatroom name to Groupchat HellAlternatively: the one where I finally jump on the groupchat bandwagon because fuck it, my school friends have a groupchat and I'm not in it and I'm bitterAlternatively alternatively: The twelve-year-old girl who saved the world twice over, a famous contest idol, the regional professor's somewhat nerdy son, and the asthmatic ten-year-old with social anxiety get in a chatroom, and it's just as bad as it soundsThis fanfic is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.





	1. Chapter 1

**(03:33AM) May Sapphire** created the chatroom **Trainers of Hoenn Unite!**

 **(03:33AM) May Sapphire** invited **Lisia Alpha** to the chatroom **Trainers of Hoenn Unite!**

 **(03:33AM) May Sapphire** invited **Wally Emerald** to the chatroom **Trainers of Hoenn Unite!**

 **(03:33AM) May Sapphire** invited **Brendan Birch** to the chatroom **Trainers of Hoenn Unite!**

 **(03:34AM) Lisia Alpha said:** Ive seen enough chatfics to know where this is going.

 **(03:35AM) Lisia Alpha** changed the chatroom name to **Groupchat Hell**

 **(03:35AM) Lisia Alpha** changed their nickname to **ali-tara**

 **(03:36AM) Brendan Birch said:** Fuck you all, I’m trying to sleep.

 **(03:36AM) May Sapphire** changed their nickname to **May**

 **(03:37AM) May said:** Sleep? What’s that?

 **(03:37AM) ali-tara said:** that would explain y she was making a groupchat at 3am

 **(03:38AM) Brendan Birch said:** No respectable person has shortened the word “why” to the letter “y” since 2004.

 **(03:39AM) ali-tara said:** u r using fully correct grammar + spelling in our groupchat hell at 3am and u have the hide to critisise me?

 **(03:40AM) May said:** hey brendan, you can change your nickname in the settings so we dont have to read your whole name every time you say something

 **(03:41AM) Brendan Birch** changed their nickname to **Brendan**

 **(03:41AM) Brendan said:** Thanks May, I’ve done that now. Lisia, what’s up with your nickname?

 **(03:42AM) ali-tara said:** its my username on litrally everything leave me alone

 **(03:42AM) Brendan said:** *Literally

 **(03:44AM) ali-tara said:** groupchat created at 3am, check. someone changing the groupchat name to something like groupchat hell 2 mins after its made, check. nerd corecting grammar, check.

 **(03:44AM) ali-tara said:** this is it weve reached peak groupchat hell

 **(03:45AM) Brendan said:** Shouldn’t we wait until morning to talk? Wally still hasn’t responded yet, so he’s probably asleep. If we keep texting we might wake him up.

 **(03:45AM) ali-tara said:** is it really groupchat hell if it doesnt wake every1 up at 3am

 **(03:46AM) May said:** well i dont wanna wake walls + my dad will get upset if he sees me on my nav this late so im gonna call it a night

 **(03:47AM) ali-tara said:** dont call him walls it makes me think u r gonna invite my uncle to our groupchat hell

 **(03:47AM) Brendan said:** I’m going to call it a night as well, I have lots of Pokemon to catch tomorrow and I want to be up early. Goodbye!

 **(03:48AM) ali-tara said:** ugh it cant be groupchat hell if its just me bye

 **(06:32AM) Wally Emerald** changed their nickname to **Wally**

 **(06:35AM) Wally said:** you know, when i went to the school in rustboro, we had a groupchat that everyone in the class except me was invited to. and when i moved to verdanturf, my cousins refused to invite me to their chatroom because they didn’t like me. then i went to the battle resort and the other trainers there had a groupchat, but they didn’t invite me because they didn’t think i was strong enough. now that i’ve finally found a group of friends that values me enough to add me to the groupchat, i can’t help but feel grateful

 **(06:35AM) Wally said:** for the fact that nobody liked me enough to put me through this hell before now.

( **06:36AM) Wally said:** good morning and goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

**(03:42PM) May said:** hey guys i wrote a fanfic and im pretty proud of it!

 **(03:42PM) ali-tara said:** link

 **(03:42PM) May said:** https://bit.ly/IqT6zt

 **(03:43PM) Brendan said:** Thanks for the link, May! I’ll take a look at it now. You always mention that you write fanfiction, but I’m yet to actually see an example of your writing -- I’m excited to see your talent in action!

 **(03:45PM) Brendan said:** May, go fuck yourself.

 **(03:45PM) May said:** HAHAHA YOU FELL FOR IT

 **(03:46PM) ali-tara said:** lol i knew it was a rickroll b/c it was bit.ly instead of ao3

 **(03:46PM) ali-tara said:** may never shortens links unless shes hiding them

 **(03:47PM) May said:** lissi, dont think you can save brendan by warning him.

 **(03:47PM) May said:** I will find more and increasingly ridiculous ways to rickroll you or die trying

 **(03:48PM) ali-tara said:** preferably the latter

 **(03:49PM) ali-tara said:** anyway im doin a contest on tues, any1 want vip tickets

 **(03:49PM) May said:** hell yeah!

 **(03:50PM) Brendan said:** Thanks, but no thanks. Contests aren’t really my scene.

 **(03:50PM) May said:** Cuteness/beauty contests arent really your scene.

 **(03:51PM) May said:** ive seen your coolness contests

 **(03:51PM) Brendan said:** That’s just a hobby for when the Battle Resort is closed!

 **(03:52PM) May said:** riiight… your costume looks like a fucking rockstar

 **(03:52PM) Brendan said:** What’s wrong with rockstars?

 **(03:53PM) Wally said:** hey lissi, is the contest in verdanturf? i might be able to make it if it is.

 **(03:53PM) ali-tara said:** yeah

 **(03:54PM) May said:** uh walls? have you just been watching the chat the whole time n not saying anything?

 **(03:55PM) Wally said:** well, i didn’t have anything to say.

 **(03:55PM) Wally said:** also, i didn’t want to admit that i fell for the rickroll, and after that i couldn’t say anything without mentioning it.

 **(03:56PM) ali-tara said:** ah shit

 **(03:56PM) May said:** what?

 **(03:57PM) ali-tara said:** i may have accidentally forgotten to clean my room

 **(03:57PM) ali-tara said:** again

 **(03:58PM) May said:** hahaha

 **(03:58PM) ali-tara said:** i stg uncle walls is going to skin me alive

 **(03:58PM) ali-tara said:** gtg bye

 **(03:59PM) Wally said:** it still feels weird to hear her call someone else by my nickname, honestly.

 **(03:59PM) May said:** honestly i kinda feel sorry for lissi, she has the memory of a magikarp and it keeps causing problems

 **(04:00PM) May said:** press f to pay respects

 **(04:00PM) May said:** f

 **(04:00PM) Wally said:** f.

 **(04:01PM) Brendan said:** F.

 **(04:02PM) May said:** brendan are you fucking kidding me right now

 **(04:02PM) May said:** you cant even press f to pay respects without the grammar being perfect

 **(04:03PM) Brendan said:** I care about accuracy!

 **(04:03PM) May said:** no correct grammar on groupchat hell

 **(04:04PM) Brendan said:** All correct grammar on groupchat hell.

 **(04:04PM) May said:** fuck you

 **(04:05PM) Brendan said:** Anyway, where are you at the moment? I haven’t seen you in Littleroot lately.

 **(04:05PM) May said:**  Dude im never in littleroot

 **(04:06PM) Brendan said:** Well, don’t you think maybe you should come home from time to time? It’s winter now and it’s getting cold at night, it might not be a good idea to always be camping.

 **(04:06PM) May said:** hahahaha

 **(04:07PM) Brendan said:** ?

 **(04:07PM) May said:** this isnt cold

 **(04:07PM) May said:** this is hoenn

 **(04:08PM) May said:** hoenn is the hottest region in the world

 **(04:08PM) May said:** if you want to see cold, come to johto sometime

 **(04:09PM) Wally said:** ugh, i’m jealous.

 **(04:09PM) Wally said:** i have to be super careful in winter because cold triggers my asthma.

 **(04:10PM) Wally said:** and my uncle is so controlling, he basically never lets me leave the house and the only way i can get out is by sneaking out, i’m not even allowed to go to the contest hall in verdanturf which is like 3 metres away, i feel like he’s keeping me prisoner

 **(04:11PM) ali-tara said:** speaking of controlling uncles

 **(04:11PM) ali-tara said:** uncle walls said im not allowed on my nav until i cleaned my room

 **(04:11PM) ali-tara said:** dick

 **(04:12PM) May said:** then how are you on the chat now?

 **(04:12PM) ali-tara said:** it only took 10 mins to clean

 **(04:12PM) ali-tara said:** but honestly that was fucking child labor

 **(04:13PM) May said:** overdramatic much?

 **(04:13PM) May said:** anyway i gotta take Rayquaza for its daily ride, so gtg, bye

 **(04:14PM) Brendan said:** I’m honestly curious as to how the locals react to that. But I have some Pokemon to catch and I also have to look out for Rayquaza, so see you later.

 **(04:15PM) ali-tara said:** srsly? finally got my nav back and every1s gone

 **(04:17PM) ali-tara said:** ugh bye


	3. Chapter 3

**(10:21AM) May said:** i wrote a limerick! Anyone wanna hear it?

 **(10:21AM) Brendan said:** Sure!

 **(10:22AM) May said:** There once was a singer, I’m told

 **(10:22AM) May said:** Who had such a true heart of gold

 **(10:23AM) May said:** He’d give you up never

 **(10:23AM) May said:** Not let you down ever

 **(10:23AM) May said:** Ah shit, you just got limerickrolled!

 **(10:24AM) Brendan said:** May, go *fuck* yourself.

 **(10:24AM) ali-tara said:** that exchange was just a deleted scene from ddlc

 **(10:25AM) Wally said:** what’s ddlc?

 **(10:25AM) Brendan said:**...Do you guys want to tell him, or should I?

 **(10:26AM) May said:** oh walls its just a super cute visual novel where you exchange poems and have fun! You should download it

 **(10:26AM) ali-tara said:** may not cool

 **(10:26AM) ali-tara said:** he has anxiety

 **(10:27AM) ali-tara said:** pranks like that r nt cool when he has anxiety

 **(10:27AM) Wally said:** what’s ddlc?

 **(10:28AM) Brendan said:** Do you want the anxiety-friendly version or the spoiler-free version?

 **(10:28AM) Wally said:** is it free to download?

 **(10:29AM) Wally said:** if it’s free, i might get it.

 **(10:29AM) Wally said:** something to do in my spare time.

 **(10:30AM) May said:** yeah its free

 **(10:31AM) Wally said:** okay, spoiler free version.

 **(10:33AM) Brendan said:** Pretty much exactly what May said! It’s a fun visual novel with a super cute art style. It’s called “Doki Doki Literature Club”. You, as the protagonist, join a literature club at your school and meet its various quirky but endearing members. Will you write the way into their hearts? Not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

 **(10:33AM) Wally said:** well, i’m an easily disturbed child, so it seems like a good game for me.

 **(10:33AM) Wally said:** link?

 **(10:34AM) May said:** https://bit.ly/IqT6zt

 **(10:34AM) Wally said:** may, if you’re going to try to rickroll me twice in a row, at least use a different link.

 **(10:35AM) ali-tara said:** walls srsly dont download it

 **(10:35AM) Brendan said:** https://ddlc.moe/

 **(10:36AM) ali-tara said:** WALLY IM SERIOUS

 **(10:37AM) May said:** well somebody went from sans to papyrus quickly

 **(10:37AM) ali-tara said:** wally im srs here, im worried abt u

 **(10:37AM) ali-tara said:** that game gave me fucking anxiety attacks for weeks

 **(10:38AM) ali-tara said:** at least look at the warnings

 **(10:38AM) Brendan said:** ? Lisia, do you have anxiety? I had no idea.

 **(10:39AM) ali-tara said:** thats none of ur fucking business

 **(10:39AM) Brendan said:** I’ll take that as a yes.

 **(10:40AM) Wally said:** wait a sec.

 **(10:40AM) Wally said:** so if lisia has anxiety

 **(10:40AM) Wally said:** then who’s the token neurotypical?

 **(10:41AM) May said:** i dont think we have one lol

 **(10:41AM) May said:** thats part of why this is groupchat hell

 **(10:42AM) ali-tara said:** wait srsly is nobody here nt?

 **(10:42AM) Brendan said:** Well, I’m autistic and so is May, so … I don’t think anybody is.

 **(10:43AM) ali-tara said:** well shit

 **(10:43AM) May said:** dont worry, we still have Brendan as the token cishet

 **(10:44AM) Brendan said:** Oi!

 **(10:44AM) Wally said:** ....

 **(10:45AM) Wally said:** did you guys just, like, forget i exist?

 **(10:45AM) ali-tara said:** no we just assumed you werent a lousy cishet b/c u r cool

 **(10:46AM) Wally said:** thanks?

 **(10:46AM) Brendan said:** Fuck you all.


	4. Chapter 4

**(01:58AM) Brendan said:** You’re both inaccurately using the term “autistic-coded” in order to fuel your own theories and discourse arguments instead of actually considering the meaning of the term and changing your opinions to fit the facts. A character isn’t autistic-coded just because an autistic person likes them; however, unlike gay-coding, it’s more complex than simply saying “they’re autistic-coded if the creator intended it”. Many common character archetypes are actually, unbeknownst to the author, based on well-known undiagnosed autistic people in history, and this causes a character that, albeit indirectly, is based on an autistic person, which surely must make them autistic-coded despite the author’s intentions! Peridot is an obvious example of this, and without you both acknowledging this, your discourse is already coming from a point of view that will never be able to understand the other side, making reconciliation impossible. If you can get the basic facts straight and be on the same page, then you can have a reasonable discussion about the fidget spinners!

 **(01:59AM) Brendan said:** Sorry, I meant to send that to a different group chat.

 **(01:59AM) ali-tara said:** WHAT THE FUCK

 **(02:00AM) Wally said:** you meant to send that to a different group chat?

 **(02:00AM) Wally said:** what sort of group chat are you in that would require you to be sending essays about autism at 2am?

 **(02:01AM) Brendan said:** Oh, I meant to send it to the autistic geologist group chat.

 **(02:01AM) May said:** ??? thats a thing ??? can you invite me???

 **(02:02AM) Brendan said:** I’ll invite you in a few days. You wouldn’t want to see that group chat at the moment, Courtney and Steven are up to their necks in discourse.

 **(02:02AM) ali-tara said:** so wtf is up with the fact that theres a fucking groupchat for autistic geologists arguing at 2am

 **(02:03AM) Brendan said:** Well, there’s a lot of autistic geologists out there looking to express their opinions. Sorry if I woke you all up.

 **(02:03AM) May said:** not forgiven

 **(02:04AM) May said:** as punishment for waking me up, im making sure none of you can get back to sleep

 **(02:04AM) ali-tara said:** i stg

 **(02:05AM) May said:** We’re no strangers to love

 **(02:05AM) ali-tara said:** oh fuck

 **(02:06AM) Wally said:** well, i don’t mind, i’ve been up since 1am playing doki doki literature club!

 **(02:06AM) ali-tara said:** OH FUCK

 **(02:06AM) May said:** You know the rules and so do I

 **(02:07AM) Brendan said:** You’ve been up since 1AM playing D.D.L.C.? Are you telling me you woke up at one in the morning just to play?

 **(02:07AM) ali-tara said:** did u just fucking do the thing with the periods after the acronym

 **(02:07AM) May said:** A full commitment’s what I’m thinking of

 **(02:08AM) ali-tara said:** no correct grammar in groupchat hell

 **(02:08AM) Wally said:** i couldn’t sleep so i started playing.

 **(02:08AM) May said:** You wouldn’t get this from any other guy

 **(02:09AM) Wally said:** honestly lisia, i don’t know why you were so worried. like, it gets pretty heavy once sayori opens up about her depression, but apart from that it seems pretty lighthearted and fun.

 **(02:09AM) May said:** I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling

 **(02:10AM) Brendan said:** Wally, what part of the game are you on now?

 **(02:10AM) Wally said:** the day of the festival, monika’s acting weird, i’m going to wake sayori up now

 **(02:10AM) ali-tara said:** OHHH FUCKKKK

 **(02:10AM) May said:** Just gotta make you understand

 **(02:11AM) ali-tara said:** MAY CAN YOU FUCKING STOP RICKROLLING/LYRIC PRANKING US

 **(02:11AM) May said:** Never

 **(02:11AM) May said:** gonna give you up

 **(02:12AM) Wally said:** HOLY SHIT

 **(02:12AM) May said:** Never gonna let you down

 **(02:12:AM) ali-tara said:** fuck this im out

 **(02:13AM) Wally said:** i think i got a bad ending, i just walked in and she’s dead

 **(02:13AM) May said:** Never gonna run around and desert you

 **(02:14AM) Brendan said:** Don’t worry, that’s part of the game.

 **(02:14AM) Wally said:** well, that’s enough ddlc for one night

 **(02:14AM) Wally said:** bye

 **(02:14AM) May said:** Never gonna make you cry

 **(02:15AM) Brendan said:** Bye!

 **(02:15AM) May said:** Never gonna say goodbye

 **(02:16AM) May said:** Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

 **(02:17AM) Brendan said:** I’d like to go to bed now, are you going to do the whole song?

 **(02:17AM) May said:** We’ve known each other for so long

 **(02:18AM) ali-tara said:** may stfu


	5. Chapter 5

**(02:18AM) May said:** Your heart’s been aching but you’re too shy to say it

 **(02:19AM) ali-tara said:** i stg may stfu

 **(02:19AM) May said:** Inside we both know what’s been going on

 **(02:20AM) Brendan said:** May, we’re all trying to sleep!

 **(02:20AM) May said:** We know the game and we’re gonna play it

 **(02:21AM) ali-tara said:** fucking hell

 **(02:21AM) May said:** And if you ask me how I’m feeling

 **(02:21AM) May said:** Don’t tell me you’re too blind to see

 **(02:22AM) ali-tara said:** may i am going to remove ur organs in alphabetical order

 **(02:22AM) May said:** Never gonna give you up

 **(02:22AM) May said:** Never gonna let you down

 **(02:23AM) May said:** Never gonna run around and desert you

 **(02:23AM) ali-tara said:** fucksakes

 **(02:24AM) May said:** Never gonna make you cry

 **(02:24AM) May said:** Never gonna say goodbye

 **(02:24AM) May said:** Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

 **(02:25AM) May said:** ok im done now lol

 **(05:27AM) May said:** wakey wakey lemon shakeys!

 **(05:28AM) ali-tara said:** i feel like my life is just a series of autistic 12 y/os waking me up via groupchat hell

 **(05:28AM) Wally said:** lemon shakeys?

 **(05:29AM) May said:** *shrug* it rhymed

 **(05:29AM) ali-tara said:** may i stg

 **(05:30AM) Brendan said:** Well, I was never able to sleep in the first place, thanks to Courtney and Steven discoursing.

 **(05:30AM) May said:** gee, sounds like that ROCKED

 **(05:31AM) ali-tara said:** thats it

 **(05:31AM) ali-tara said:** choose an alphabet

 **(05:32AM) Brendan said:** For?

 **(05:32AM) ali-tara said:** so i can remove mays organs in alphabetical order

 **(05:33AM) May said:** so did i wake everyone up? is walls up yet

 **(05:33AM) ali-tara said:** dont call him walls, thats what i call my uncle

 **(05:34AM) Wally said:** yeah, i’m awake.

 **(05:34AM) ali-tara said:** did u even sleep in the 1st place?

 **(05:35AM) Wally said:** honestly, not really.

 **(05:35AM) Wally said:** actually, i’ve been thinking about something recently.

 **(05:36AM) ali-tara said:** the fact that u brought that up means that u want to tell us the thing uve been thinking about

 **(05:36AM) Brendan said:** Lisia, nobody shortens “you’ve” to “uve”.

 **(05:36AM) ali-tara said:** nobody cares dipshit

 **(05:37AM) ali-tara said:** so wally what do u wanna say

 **(05:38AM) Wally said:** ...so do you guys remember how you said brendan was the token cishet and i got upset because you had forgotten i exist?

 **(05:38AM) May said:** i knew my gaydar was picking something up with you

 **(05:39AM) ali-tara said:** called it

 **(05:39AM) Brendan:** Could we at least let him finish coming out before we all start talking about how obvious it was?

 **(05:39AM) ali-tara said:** no

 **(05:40AM) Wally said:**...well, i had an entire dramatic speech planned out, but i guess it’s sort of ruined now.

 **(05:40AM) Wally said:** anyway, i’m aromantic and agender.

 **(05:41AM) May said:** cool

 **(05:41AM) ali-tara said:** pronouns?

 **(05:42AM) Wally said:** i’m not really sure about that at the moment, but he/him is fine.

 **(05:42AM) Wally said:** now that i’ve gotten that off my chest, could we maybe stop talking so i can get some sleep?

 **(05:43AM) ali-tara said:** NO SLEEP ON GROUPCHAT HELL

 **(05:43AM) May said:** NO SLEEP ON GROUPCHAT HELL

 **(05:43AM) Brendan said:** NO SLEEP ON GROUPCHAT HELL.

 **(05:44AM) Wally said:** ...i wasn’t really planning on sleeping anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**(09:01PM) Wally** changed their nickname to **Skye**

 **(09:01PM) ali-tara said:** whats up w the name change

 **(09:02PM) Skye said:** it’s my middle name and i’m trying it out as like, my main name.

 **(09:02PM) Skye said:** feels more androgynous.

 **(09:03PM) ali-tara said:** cool

 **(09:03PM) May said:** my middle name is danger!

 **(09:04PM) ali-tara said:** stfu may ur real middle name is marina

 **(09:05PM) Brendan said:** My middle name is Ruby!

 **(09:05PM) ali-tara said:** ...isnt that like a girl name

 **(09:06PM) Brendan said:** My family has a weird trend of naming boys Ruby. Why do you think my dad always goes by Professor Birch?

 **(09:06PM) ali-tara said:** wait a sec

 **(09:07PM) ali-tara said:** so if ur middle name is ruby

 **(09:07PM) ali-tara said:** n mays family name is sapphire

 **(09:07PM) ali-tara said:** is the ship name garnetshipping

 **(09:08PM) May said:** LISSI

 **(09:08PM) Brendan said:** Haha, I don’t really think of May that way. We’re just friends and neighbours!

 **(09:09PM) May said:** lissi you dumbfuck im a fucking lesbian

 **(09:10PM) Skye said:** you know, there’s one person here who seems awfully reluctant to admit what her middle name is.

 **(09:10PM) May said:** i bet its embarrassing

 **(09:10PM) May said:** fess up lissi

 **(09:11PM) ali-tara said:** ok guys calm down

 **(09:11PM) ali-tara said:** its literally just tara

 **(09:12PM) Brendan said:** Seriously? That was anticlimactic. I was hoping it would be something funny.

 **(09:12PM) May said:** i mean it kinda is

 **(09:12PM) May said:** it sounds like altaria

 **(09:13PM) Skye said:** wow, i thought your nickname was just a pun on altaria and ali. now it’s a pun on altaria, ali, and tara!

 **(09:13PM) ali-tara said:** yeah, i put a lot of thought into it

 **(09:14PM) May said:** the username or the middle name?

 **(09:14PM) ali-tara said:** yes

 **(09:15PM) Skye said:** wait, did you choose your own middle name?

 **(09:15PM) ali-tara said:** yep

 **(09:16PM) Brendan said:** Wait, does that mean I can change my middle name???

 **(09:16PM) ali-tara said:** i mean i changed mine bc im trans but i dont see why u couldnt change urs

 **(09:17PM) Brendan said:** You’re trans????

 **(09:17PM) ali-tara said:** omfg what fucking rock have u been living under

 **(09:18PM) May said:**??? did you never, like, google her name??? search her up on tumblr and see the fucking piles of discourse???

 **(09:18PM) ali-tara said:** its like,,,50% of the reason why im famous,,,how the fuck did u not know

 **(09:19PM) Brendan said:** I’m not really up-to-date with the contest industry.

 **(09:20PM) ali-tara said:** maybe u should go back to ur autistic geologist groupchat bc u r clearly livin under a rock

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brendan and May are literally me
> 
> Fun fact: this was originally the same as chapter 6 but I split them up because chapter 6 was getting too long

**(11:41PM) May said:** can somebody help me? im currently staring at the lesbian pride flag with a very confused look on my face

 **(11:41PM) Skye said:** that’s got to be one of the weirdest sentences i’ve ever read

 **(11:42PM) ali-tara said:** which lesbian flag? isnt there like 50

 **(11:42PM) May said:** yeah i know we have like 50 different flags and nobody can agree on anything

 **(11:43PM) May said:** but im talking about the orange + pink one

 **(11:43PM) ali-tara said:** so whats the problem

 **(11:44PM) May said:** my autistic ass is totally failing to understand the symbolism

 **(11:44PM) May said:** like it says here that the top orange stripe represents gender non-conformity but??? how???

 **(11:45PM) May said:** i thought pink was meant to be fem and blue was masc??? orange is closer to pink than blue??? how does it represent gender-noncomformity

 **(11:45PM) May said:** and then the next orange stripe represents independence? what does orange have to do with independence?

 **(11:46PM) May said:** but the last orange stripe is meant to represent community??? how the fuck does orange represent independence while also representing community???

 **(11:46PM) May said:** im so confused lissi help

 **(11:47PM) ali-tara said:** …

 **(11:48PM) ali-tara said:** i think this is one of those things where we think something is simple but its actually so complex that the only way we can process it is subconsciously, and bc of that we cant explain it when asked so we think its just natural/common sense, but autistic people dont process it subconsciously and theyre kinda just fucked bc nobody who understands it knows how to explain

 **(11:49PM) Skye said:** woah, lissi got really insightful just then.

 **(11:50PM) Brendan said:** Honestly, I feel the same way.

 **(11:50PM) Brendan said:** Like, with the gay pride flag, the orange stripe is meant to represent healing, but what does orange have to do with healing? What does being gay have to do with healing? Do gay people have super-healing powers?

 **(11:51PM) May said:** yes

 **(11:51PM) Brendan said:** And apparently the blue and purple stripes represent harmony and spirit, respectively, but how? And does it mean harmony in the community or the musical sense?

 **(11:52PM) ali-tara said:** brendan, based on context, do u think the gay COMMUNITY would care more about having a sense of COMMUNITY than being able to sing a fucking major 3rd and a perfect 5th

 **(11:52PM) May said:** as a gay i can confirm its the latter

 **(11:52PM) ali-tara said:** and thats why u get ur own flag, may

 **(11:53PM) Brendan said:** Well, if there’s one thing this conversation has proved, it’s that May and I have a very limited grasp on symbolism.

 **(11:53PM) May said:** yeah, when it comes to metaphors, well, im not exactly the sharpest egg in the attic

 **(11:54PM) Brendan said:** Why is the egg in the attic?

 **(11:54PM) Skye said:** well, that flew right over your head.

 **(11:55PM) ali-tara said:** if i were u, id be more concerned about why the egg is sharp

 **(11:55PM) Brendan said:** Well, you can sharpen an egg.

 **(11:56PM) ali-tara said:** …

 **(11:56PM) May said:** what the fuck

 **(11:57PM) ali-tara said:** no u fuckin cant u dumbass

 **(11:57PM) May said:** why the fuck do you think you can sharpen an egg

 **(11:58PM) ali-tara said:** fuck this im out

 **(11:58PM) May said:** yeah bye

 **(11:59PM) Skye said:** brendan, you should know that it’s impossible to sharpen an egg.

 **(11:59PM) Skye said:** trust me, i’ve tried.


	8. Chapter 8

**(01:00AM) ali-tara said:** is any1 awake

 **(01:01AM) Brendan said:** Fucking hell.

 **(01:01AM) Skye said:** well, we are now.

 **(01:01AM) Brendan said:** The one night when this groupchat hadn’t woken me up and you’ve ruined it.

 **(01:02AM) ali-tara said:** pls dont b mad

 **(01:02AM) ali-tara said:** im fuckin shaking

 **(01:03AM) Brendan said:** What’s wrong?

 **(01:03AM) ali-tara said:** uncle walls is at stevens house & i just heard this freaky noise

 **(01:04AM) Skye said:** what did it sound like?

 **(01:04AM) ali-tara said:** some sort of wild pkmn

 **(01:04AM) ali-tara said:** mayb a salamence

 **(01:05AM) Brendan said:** What the fuck would a wild Salamence be doing in Sootopolis?

 **(01:05AM) ali-tara said:** fucksakes brendan idk whats going on i just dont wanna die

 **(01:06AM) Skye said:** if there was a salamence in sootopolis we would be seeing it on buzznav. you’re probably fine.

 **(01:06AM) ali-tara:** thanks uve cured my anxiety

 **(01:07AM) Brendan said:** Have you tried looking out the window?

 **(01:07AM) ali-tara said:** no

 **(01:08AM) Brendan said:** ...Well, maybe you should?

 **(01:08AM) ali-tara said:** im fuckin scared gimme a break

 **(01:09AM) ali-tara said:** i cant see anything but i just heard it again

 **(01:09AM) ali-tara said:** i feel like the white girl in a horror movie

 **(01:10AM) Skye said:** the white girl in a horror movie is often the first to die.

 **(01:10AM) ali-tara said:** NOT HELPING

 **(01:11AM) ali-tara said:** where tf is may

 **(01:11AM) Brendan said:** Have you tried messaging your uncle?

 **(01:12AM) ali-tara said:** i dnt wanna wake em up

 **(01:12AM) Skye said:** but you’re fine with waking us up?

 **(01:13AM) ali-tara said:** well u guys wake me all the time so its fair

 **(01:13AM) ali-tara said:** where tf is may???

 **(01:14AM) Brendan said:** I just looked out my window -- she’s in Littleroot for once, and she’s asleep.

 **(01:14AM) ali-tara said:** ugh

 **(01:14AM) Brendan said:** I could fly over on my Swellow and wake her up without my parents or hers knowing, but she’d probably be annoyed…

 **(01:15AM) ali-tara said:** DONT U FUCKING DARE WAKE HER U USELESS EGG SHARPENER

 **(01:15AM) Brendan said:** Hey, I only sharpened an egg once, leave me alone.

 **(01:16AM) ali-tara said:** this is probs a weird question but  
**  
(01:16AM) ali-tara said:** i need to keep my mind off that fucking godawful noise

 **(01:16AM) ali-tara said:** does may usually check what weve said while shes asleep after she wakes up

 **(01:17AM) Brendan said:** She’s never actually been asleep while we’re chatting before.

 **(01:17AM) ali-tara said:** srsly?

 **(01:18AM) Brendan said:** But knowing her general laziness, it’s likely she wouldn’t bother.

 **(01:18AM) ali-tara said:** in that case

 **(01:19AM) ali-tara said:** SHE IS THE WORST USELESS LESBIAN I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE OH MY FUCKING GOD

 **(01:19AM) ali-tara said:** i literally wrote a fucking love song and she still didnt get the hint

 **(01:20AM) ali-tara said:** how tf do i ask her out

 **(01:20AM) Brendan said:** Hahaha, I ship it!

 **(01:21AM) Skye said:** what’s the ship name?

 **(01:21AM) Brendan said:** Maybe Maysia or Lisimay? Neither really roll off the tongue.

 **(01:22AM) Skye said:** laml or mall? for lisia and may love, or may and lisia love.

 **(01:22AM) Brendan said:** Contestqueenshipping? Because they’re both skilled at contests?

 **(01:23AM) Skye said:** no, that name won’t catch on.

 **(01:23AM) ali-tara said:** um hello??? girl with problem???

 **(01:24AM) ali-tara said:** even if i do ask her out she probs wont even notice i like her while we’re dating

 **(01:24AM) ali-tara said:** shes about as observant as a brich

 **(01:25AM) May said:** wakey wakey lemon shakeys!

 **(01:25AM) ali-tara said:** fuck

 **(01:26AM) Skye said:** well, at least she knows now.

 **(01:26AM) May said:** that explains a lot, honestly

 **(01:27AM) May said:** why didnt you just tell me?

 **(01:27AM) ali-tara said:** i thought it was obvious????

 **(01:28AM) May said:** nothing is obvious to me

 **(01:28AM) May said:** so um

 **(01:29AM) May said:** do you wanna

 **(01:29AM) May said:**...be girlfriends?

 **(01:30AM) ali-tara said:** i thought ud never ask

 **(01:30AM) ali-tara said:** but that doesnt solve my initial problem of THERES THIS GODAWFUL FUCKING NOISE OUTSIDE MY HOUSE

 **(01:31AM) May said:** want me to come over

 **(01:31AM) ali-tara said:** yes please

 **(01:32AM) May said:** be there in 5

 **(01:32AM) Skye said:** this is my new otp.


	9. Chapter 9

**(03:33AM) May said:** i have a brilliant idea

 **(03:33AM) ali-tara:** i highly doubt that

 **(03:34AM) May said:** were friends. and you know what friends do? they go out and do stuff together!

 **(03:34AM) Skye said:** what would you like to do?

 **(03:35AM) May said:** lgbt

 **(03:35AM) May said:** let’s go bowling together

 **(03:36AM) ali-tara said:** that actually is a brilliant idea

 **(03:36AM) Brendan said:** Am I excluded?

 **(03:37AM) May said:** maybe

 **(03:37AM) Skye said:** this really isn’t the best time to discuss plans. maybe we should arrange to discuss this in the morning?

 **(03:38AM) May said:** im free at 9am

 **(03:39AM) ali-tara said:** sounds good 2 me

 **(03:40AM) Brendan said:** Okay, I’ll talk to you all then! Goodnight and goobye!

 **(09:00AM) Brendan said:** So who wants to discuss bowling?

 **(09:03AM) ali-tara said:** im p sure may didnt meant EXACTLY 9 when she said 9

 **(09:03AM) Brendan said:** In that case, then what did she mean?

 **(09:04AM) ali-tara said:** Its hard to explain. anyway we gotta wait for skye n may

 **(09:07AM) Skye said:** i’m here guys! sorry i’m a little late, i was reading a book and lost track of time.

 **(09:07AM) Brendan said:** Okay, so now we’re only waiting on May.

 **(09:30AM) Brendan said:** @May? Are you here?

 **(09:30AM) Skye said:** weird.

 **(09:31AM) ali-tara said:** mays alwyas late. give her time

 **(10:06AM) Brendan said:** @May, where are you? You said we would talk at nine, it’s been over an hour … I’m getting worried.

 **(10:21AM) Brendan said:** may???

 **(10:22AM) ali-tara said:** brendan without correct grammar?? is this the apocalypse?

 **(10:48AM) Brendan said:** may where tf r u? is everythin ok?

 **(10:49AM) ali-tara said:** just so u kno i have that screenshotted in case you ever get on my ass about grammar

 **(10:49AM) Skye said:** i’m kind of worried at this point, honestly.

 **(10:50AM) ali-tara said:** me 2, shes not normally this late.

 **(11:33AM) May said:** uh guys

 **(11:33AM) May said:** sorry for worrying you

 **(11:33AM) May said:** but uh

 **(11:33AM) May said:** i kinda fucked up


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask: No, I didn't accidentally post a chapter of another fic to this fic.

When you can’t breathe, your brain can’t get enough oxygen to function. When your brain can’t get enough oxygen to function, you can’t think straight. When you can’t think straight, you panic. And when you panic, you can’t breathe.

You can’t breathe.

You keep running anyway.

You feel just about ready to collapse -- just about ready to lean against the nearest tree and slide down to the ground, waiting for somebody to find you, for better or for worse.

When you can’t breathe, you can’t run. When you can’t run, you can feel your pursuer getting closer. When you know you’re in danger, you panic. And when you panic, you can’t breathe.

You can’t run.

You keep running anyway.

You should have collapsed long ago. Your body has a line, a line you can never cross no matter how much willpower you have, and that’s your maximum, no matter how much danger you’re in or how much adrenaline is pumping through your veins or how determined you are to get away.

You crossed that line long ago.

You should have collapsed long ago. You’re not going to collapse any time soon. You may not know it, but luck is on your side.

It’s not luck. Luck is random. There’s nothing random about this. The odds are on your side, and you can breathe just enough to keep running, somehow.

You’re tempted to give up now, to let Him catch you and see what happens. Maybe it will be nothing bad. Maybe you can clear this all up and you can all get along and have a tea party and learn about the magic of friendship.

You highly doubt that.

You just need to find the others. With strength in numbers, you might just be able to fight Him off and get away. At the very least, someone will be able to stop you from dying if you collapse. You’re sure you will at some point, even though if you were going to collapse you should have done so a few miles back, before you even entered the forest.

You brush a lock of green, sweat-drenched hair out of your face to improve your vision. Everything’s blurry and dark and your eyes don’t need another obstacle. You’re not even consciously aware that you’re still moving your legs; it’s become automatic, left on auto-pilot so that you can think.

You can’t think straight.

You keep running anyway.

You need to find the others. When you find them, they’ll get you out of this God-forsaken forest, they’ll take you somewhere where you can rest and it’ll all be worth the effort. You just need to stay strong and keep running for a little longer and then the others will find you and you can rest. Just a few more minutes and you’ll find them.

You’re not sure you’ll last a few more minutes, but luck is on your side. The odds are on your side. The forces of nature are on your side because you need to keep going, you can’t slow down, not even for a second, not until you find the others.

Breathing gets harder and harder with each passing second, but you have to keep going, you have to. You had a head start but He’s fast, fast enough to make that head start meaningless if you stop even for a second, and He’s strong, strong enough to kill you in an instant.

If the run does not kill you first.

But He’s weak, too, in a way. Weak enough that the others could fight Him off if you could just find them! You need to find them. Your lungs are burning, but you need to keep going, you need to find the others. You can do it, you have to do it, you have to find them.

The only thing going through your mind is the thought again and again that you won’t make it, that you can’t find them, that you’ll die before you can get to them, that you were doomed from the start and you should have just given up.

But you haven’t given up and you’re not going to.

Your heart is pounding against your chest, faster than you ever thought it could, hard enough to deafen you. It gives you the strength to keep going. You have to keep going. You’ll find the others soon, you just have to stay strong a little longer.

When you see a flash of green flying above you, the first thing you think is that you’re too late, this is it, you’re going to die.

You couldn’t be more wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

**ali-tara**

 

**Addressing the discourse**

Okay, I know I’ve been sort of inactive for a few days. I’ve been dealing with my feelings on the whole situation and I didn’t want to go on Tumblr because I knew I would see discourse about all this. But I never expected that it would get to this point. It already has its own tag and hundreds of posts, each with hundreds if not thousands of notes! And on top of that, I’ve gotten a total of 333 asks, most of which desperately asking if I’m breaking up with May over all this.

Honestly, I considered it. To say she really fucked up is an understatement. I’m not going to try and defend what she did. But I’m sure as fuck going to try and defend her. She’s my girlfriend, despite all the stupid things she’s done, and I don’t care how many fans I lose over this, I’m sticking by her side.

I already know that a lot of people are so busy stanning us that they forget how old we are -- I’ve blocked more creepy old men than I’d like to admit on this hellsite. So here, let me tell you something: When I started going on this hellsite, I was already so famous in the contest industry that nobody cared that I was blatantly too young to make an account. Now I’m literally barely old enough (thanks for all the birthday wishes last month, by the way).

Thing is, May is three months younger than me. She’s literally getting fucking piles of discourse about whether she deserves to live and she can’t even defend herself because she doesnt want to lie about her age to make an account. She’s a fucking child. Yes, a child who saved the world twice and has four Legendary Pokemon, but still a child.

And before you all start screaming about how she’s old enough to take responsibility for her own actions: She’s the person who’s putting herself in the most danger to solve this and fix what she’s started. She’s already saved the world twice over. She’s more responsible than anyone her age should be.

Leave her the fuck alone.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have 333 asks I need to go through and I expect at least 300 of them will be deleted.

_tagged: #discourse #may discourse #discourse tw #lissi talks_

**204 notes**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lisia's Tumblr icon was made by the lovely @prideful-poke-icons on Tumblr, who so kindly gave me permission to use it for this fic!
> 
> For those who are unable to see the image for whatever reason: it's a shiny sprite of the Pokemon Altaria with the transgender pride flag as the background.


	12. Chapter 12

She said I was being frustrating. I said that she needed to build her tolerance for frustration.

She said I was being annoying, and I said the same to her.

My power surpasses hers.

She thought that just because I was willing to help her when Hoenn was in crisis, that I must logically be willing to help her cheat.

I’m not allowed in the Battle Resort, for the sake of keeping it fair for those lacking My power. She knew this, everybody knew this, everybody told her when they invited her, the receptionist told her, her friends told her, she knew this. But all it took was an empty threat of My fury and everyone would turn a blind eye.

I was furious. She was trying to beat those weaker than her using cheap tricks and luck, and to take advantage of My power.

She used My name in vain.

So I refused. I disobeyed. I just took the attacks until I was announced unable to battle, and in double and triple battles, I would -- and keep in mind, I discussed this with the others and had their consent, and if they seemed uncomfortable I would have stopped immediately -- I attacked the Pokemon battling by my side to ensure my trainer’s swift defeat.

With a Pokemon that wouldn’t obey her, she wasn’t the strongest trainer in Hoenn anymore.

When May was young, before she caught Kyogre and before she caught me, she told her friend Brendan that she does not like battling strong trainers. It’s no fun. She’ll never win. They always have the advantage.

Strong trainers don’t need the advantage.

May never asked herself why she always had it.

She thought I was the problem; that My disobedience was the root of this, and that she could fix it by training me better. She thought the solution was to show Me that she was dominant, that she was more powerful than Me, that I should bow down to her.

The opposite is true.

She thought she would show her dominance by entering My territory, without the knowledge required to get in safely. She thought that, with so many strong Pokemon by her side, she would be able to force her way in.

Unfortunately, she was right.

I knew from the start that it was dangerous, but I didn’t think she would succeed. I waited too long to step in. But when it became clear that her goal was possible, I couldn’t afford to let her off easy because she was My trainer. I used all of my power to stop her from doing further damage and to get away from her, too full of rage and loathing to bear to be in her sight.

She had used me as transport, and her allies were just as furious with her as I was. They lacked the necessary speed to just run, of course, but they refused to take her home. The only ones who still stayed by her side were her Blaziken and her Pikachu, neither of which could fly or swim.

So she did the only thing she knew to do: She messaged her friends.

That was at thirty-three minutes past eleven o’clock in the morning.


	13. Chapter 13

  
There’s a faint glimmer of green in the corner of his vision, and he takes a chance.

He’s not actually sure what he’s supposed to do or how he’s supposed to do it, let alone how he’s supposed to do it safely. Safety is the least of his priorities right now -- as long as he can find it and then survive long enough to get out, he’s satisfied. But this isn’t his element, and trying to pretend he knows what he’s doing will do him no good.

He knew he shouldn’t have suggested splitting up to cover more ground.

He glances around for the speck of green that caught his eye, and sees it -- a green rock several feet above him, on a high ledge. It’s hard to tell at this distance, but maybe, just maybe, it’s the reason he’s here in the first place.

If he’s wrong and he gets it, no harm done. If he’s right and he leaves it, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. He has to take a chance.

He lacks a Pokemon that can fly, and hasn’t the faintest clue how to climb. But that shouldn’t be a problem. Steven climbs walls all the time and at one point he must have been just as clueless, right?

...Right?

He walks toward the rock wall and finds a groove, deep enough to step in with one foot. He starts there and climbs. It’s almost completely vertical, and it’s near impossible with no experience or training, but he gets closer. And once he’s a few feet up, well, he has to keep going, or all the effort would be in vain.

He considers giving up and calling for help, then realises that he would have to get down the several feet he’s already climbed.

He tells himself that he’ll keep going so the effort won’t be in vain. He pushes the issue of getting down into the back of his mind and tells himself it’ll be easier to get down once he’s at the top.

Eventually, he pulls himself over the ledge.

The speck of green that caught his eye is more visible now, a sparkling emerald-coloured gemstone. Too emerald-coloured for his liking. He picks it up and turns it over in his fingers. Plain green, boring green, the type of green that he would paint his walls in an attempted homage to Rayquaza and then wait for it to dry and find out that it’s not even close to the right shade.

He drops it carelessly onto the ground.

Well, that was a waste of time. Now he just has to get down. That’s fine, he’ll be able to get down faster than he came up. He can remember roughly how he climbed up. He’ll just climb down the same way and it’ll be fine, right?

...Right?

He can’t see where his limbs are going and he only has to slip once.

He barely makes it two feet down before he misjudges, and his foot is so close to where it’s meant to be, maybe an inch to the left and he’d be fine, but he’s too anxious, too determined to get this over with as quickly as he possibly can, and he moves faster than he can think.

He falls faster than he can think.

He grunts as he hits the ground and searing pain runs through his body. As he struggles to catch his breath, he swears he can hear something approaching.

He can only hope it’s not an attacker.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lack of update yesterday -- my internet was out so I was unable to post, and I decided to just stop writing until it came back on, otherwise I would end up publishing 3 chapters at once when I could. And while I would usually say early is better than late, I feel like the mystery aspect of this story unfolds better with less frequent updates. If I could rewind time I would have updated weekly from the start, but too late now.
> 
> FYI, since this story isn't 100% in order and has a bunch of different story arcs that will tie together soon, I'm going to make it a little easier for you guys by repeating the last few lines of one chapter in the beginning of a chapter that comes immediately after.

**(11:33AM) May said:** uh guys

 **(11:33AM) May said:** sorry for worrying you

 **(11:33AM) May said:** but uh

 **(11:33AM) May said:** i kinda fucked up

 **(11:34AM) ali-tara said:** may i stg

 **(11:34AM) ali-tara said:** wtf did u do

 **(11:37AM) May said:** i think i angered the gods

 **(11:37AM) Brendan said:** ???!!!???!!!

 **(11:38AM) Skye said:** what brendan said, pretty much.

 **(11:38AM) ali-tara said:** MAY WTF DID U DO

 **(11:40AM) May said:** i may have slightly tried to train rayquaza in the sky pillar

 **(11:40AM) ali-tara said:** MAY I STG

 **(11:41AM) Brendan said:** How did you get in? Don’t you need to do some sort of confusing ancient Sootopolitan or Draconid thing to break the seal?

 **(11:42AM) May said:** yeah i uh

 **(11:42AM) May said:** i tried to force my way in

 **(11:43AM) ali-tara said:** ASDFGHJKL

 **(11:43AM) ali-tara said:** Y

 **(11:44AM) May said:** it was frustrating me? wouldnt win any battles

 **(11:44AM) ali-tara said:** U TRIED TO FORCE UR WAY INTO SOMEONE ELSES CULTURAL SITE THAT HAS BEEN SACRED GROUND 4 THOUSANDS OF YEARS BC U WERE FRUSTRATED?!??!??!?!?!?!

 **(11:45AM) May said:** ok when you say it like that it sounds bad but

 **(11:45AM) May said:** i need picked up

 **(11:46AM) ali-tara said:** R U FUCKIN KIDDIN ME

 **(11:46AM) May said:** rayquaza got pissed and flew off, kyogre and latias are giving me the silent treatment

 **(11:47AM) ali-tara said:** THOSE R LITERAL FUCKING GODS GIVING U THE SILENT TREATMENT BC U FUCKED UP SO BAD AND ALL U CAN THINK ABOUT IS NEEDING A LIFT?!??!?!?!

 **(11:48AM) May said:** well the sky pillar is like

 **(11:48AM) May said:** REALLY unstable

 **(11:48AM) May said:** so id sorta like to get somewhere safe

 **(11:49AM) ali-tara said:** ok lemme get this straight

 **(11:49AM) ali-tara said:** so u tried 2 force ur way onto a religious site so heavily guarded that only like 2 people in the country know how to get in

 **(11:50AM) ali-tara said:** said religious site is now physically crumbling around u bc of how much force u used

 **(11:50AM) ali-tara said:** u have literally angered at least 4 gods, one of which ran away out of fury and three of which r givin u the silent treatment

 **(11:51AM) ali-tara said:** and the thing ur most concerned about is getting a lift home

 **(11:51AM) May said:** yeah pretty much

 **(11:51AM) May said:** so can you pick me up?

 **(11:52AM) ali-tara said:** hmm idk lemme think about it

 **(11:52AM) ali-tara said:** GO FUCK YOURSELF

 **(11:53AM) Skye said:** i have two flying-type pokemon, i’ll pick you up.

 **(11:53AM) May said:** thanks!

 **(01:01PM) May said:** ok im home now, who wants to discuss bowling?

 **(01:05PM) May said:** anyone?

 **(01:10PM) May said:** lgbt? lets go bowling together?

 **(01:13PM) Brendan said:** Rayquaza is gone and you’re not looking for It. Kyogre and Latias are giving you the silent treatment and you’re not making an effort to please them. The Sky Pillar is crumbling and shaking and you’re not rebuilding it.

 **(01:14PM) Brendan said:** You literally tried to forcefully enter a sacred cultural site that Draconids and Sootopolitans have used for thousands of years, almost destroying it in the process, to train a Pokemon. That’s the equivalent of me going to Johto and destroying the Ilex Shrine because my Celebi wasn’t winning enough battles.

 **(01:15PM) Brendan said:** You’ve shown extreme disrespect for all indigenous Hoennians -- including your Sootopolitan girlfriend, who currently seems to justifiably not want to speak to you, and myself, since my grandmother from my father’s side is Draconid.

 **(01:16PM) Brendan said:** Also, since Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Latias are obviously furious with you, it’s likely that other Legendary Pokemon, such as Latios and Groudon, are also angry. Latios, Groudon, and Rayquaza are loose and furious, meaning it’s likely that all of Hoenn is in grave danger thanks to your actions.

 **(01:17PM) Brendan said:** And after fucking up so colossally that we’re all disrespected and in danger thanks to you, your first action wasn’t to call the authorities and try to reverse the damage done, it was to gloss over what you did wrong in the hope that one of us would decide to come give you a lift.

 **(01:18PM) Brendan said:** So yeah, I think I’ll pass on bowling.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this fic is gaining hits really quickly! Like it only has around 150 as or writing this note but considering that it's only been around for 11 days (wow, it feels like it's been up for way longer than that) that's pretty huge. It's also got loads of comments/kudos and a bookmark already, which again, better than a lot of my fics that have been up for longer!
> 
> Anyway, I know that the logical reason is that it's (supposedly) a chatfic which is a highly searchable term, the Pokemon fandom has very few chatfics considering the size of the fandom, and the word "chatfic" appears more than once in the summary & tags which will make it show up if you search "pokemon chatfic", but i like to tell myself some of the hits/kudos/whatever is from the fact that it has a mystery arc and is genuinely good! (I secretly consider this to be my magnum opus)
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read, kudos'd, and thanks to the one person who bookmarked and the one person who commented 5 separate times.

Your heart is pounding against your chest, faster than you ever thought it could, hard enough to deafen you. It gives you the strength to keep going. You have to keep going. You’ll find the others soon, you just have to keep going a little longer.

When you see a flash of green flying above you, the first thing you think is that you’re too late, this is it, you’re going to die.

You couldn’t be more wrong.

The fear gives you a newfound strength, strength that allows you to speed up just that much more. You feet pound against the grass, you’re dizzy and breathless from the effort, but you’re not giving up.

At last you see their figures ahead of you, their skinny frames and prepubescent shortness and general childishness. It’s hard to believe those three are going to be the world’s saviours.

Because they’re not, but you don’t know that.

You call out their names, gasping for air. They turn to face you, and within seconds you’re all hugging each other and talking about how grateful you are that everyone’s okay and frantically trying to catch your breath. Finally you step back -- the touch is getting overwhelming.

May stares at you, just as breathless as you are, but with shock instead of exhaustion. Her lips are slightly parted, her eyes full of regret and unspoken apologies. “Are you okay?” she pants.

You nod, and you’re not lying. You’re not giving her empty words in an attempt to ease her guilt, or trying to protect the others from needless worrying. You mumble, “I’m fine,” and you mean it, despite all the odds saying that you shouldn’t be fine.

“Thank Arceus,” mumbles May.

Lisia turns to her girlfriend, a confused look on her face. “What’s Arceus?”

“Johtonese thing.” A pause. “Actually Sinnohan thing but there’s a lot of overlap.”

“In Hoenn we normally thank Rayquaza,” says Brendan.

“Not really appropriate given the circumstances,” you mutter.

You have no idea how wrong you are.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Skye,” says Brendan, addressing you. “You look exhausted. What happened?”

You hesitate, for some reason. “Latios,” you mumble.

Three jaws drop simultaneously. “What?!” chokes May.

You can only nod silently in response.  

The expectant looks on their faces tell you that you haven’t given enough information to satisfy their curiosity.

“Well?” asks Brendan. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” you lie. It’s a rather short story, actually. The problem is in how much of it you understand -- or rather in how little of it you understand. It’s all very complex and your head is still spinning. You’re hoping you can just go home and have a nice rest and clear your head before you explain it all.

You’re thinking you can just go home and have a nice rest and clear your head before you explain it all.

My Arceus, you’re naive.


	16. Chapter 16

When everyone is looking for you, where do you hide?

I flew in the air, concealed by the thick layer of trees that prevented anyone from spotting me on their first glance. That was usually their last glance. How often do you look into the sky for no reason? Maybe if they hear Me move, they’ll look up, but usually the thought won’t occur to them.

When everyone is looking for you, where do you hide? You don’t.

You hide in plain site, in a way. Where’s the place where they could find you within seconds if they thought to look, but there’s no reason why they’d search there in the first place? That’s your hiding place.

For Me, it was the sky.

The sky is vast and human eyes are pathetic. My skin can blend in with the green of the trees -- not to a keen observer, but to the average Joe just glancing up for a second. Above the forest, nobody thinks to look for Me.

It’s the perfect place to watch.

I saw him. A child, around ten. He was pale, and skinny, with a tuft of green hair above his head. And he was running like his life depended on it.

He was breathless, gasping for air as his feet hit the grass, coming dangerously close to tripping on every tree root and slight pothole. He couldn’t keep going forever, I knew it. Yet he seemed determined to.

I glanced after him, to see what he was so desperately running from, and saw Him.

Sleek body, clearly designed more for offensive moves than defensive ploys, but fast enough to dodge the worst attacks anyway. Gliding wings, made of feathers yet unable to flap, better for maintaining speed while levitating than actually flying. And a familiar blue and white body.

Latios.

Latios and I are like siblings, in a way. He has a real sister, a sister who felt the same as Him about the situation but chose to be passive-aggressive toward Her trainer rather than just being aggressive to the girl’s friend, but, well, when you guard the region together for thousands of years, you sort of become friends whether you like it or not.

Kyogre and Groudon are the exceptions. They fight. But one is the master of ocean and the other of land; can I truly blame them for their quarrels, however petty and dangerous?

I’ve always had a bond with Latios, and I could understand His rage. This child, this green-haired figure, was friends with May. He had likely enabled her wrongdoing through his own inability or refusal to take action. I could have -- and maybe I should have -- joined Latios in his attempts at harming the child, and with strength in numbers we would overpower him within seconds.

Instead, I sped up, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the child looking up at me, the sudden wind caused by My movement having made him look up. I could vaguely see him speeding up as I sped after Latios.

“Stop!” I hissed, and He stopped dead. He might be a Legendary Pokemon, but so am I; He might be powerful, but so am I. He knows He couldn’t beat Me in a fight, and because of that, He obeys My every order.

A true leader inspires respect through more than just fear; it won’t do to simply intimidate everyone into obeying Me. “I know you’re full of fury,” I hissed in His ear. “But that child has done nothing wrong. We need to work out how to actually solve it.”

I left out the part about revenge against our true culprit. That will be considered after the Sky Pillar is repaired, depending on how much she contributes and how willing she is to own up to her wrongdoings.

One thing was clear, from that point:

I would not -- I could not -- let any harm come to that green-haired child.


	17. Chapter 17

_www.devon.co.hn/idrequired_

IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT

USERNAME: steven.stone

PASSWORD: *********

 

* * *

_www.devon.co.hn/classified/jadeorb#user=21112014_

**The Legendary Jade Orb: Real Artifact Powered By Infinity Energy, Or Mere Draconid Myth?**

_A study written by Peter Stone, current president of Devon(™), 1972_

Ever since the original colonisation of the Hoenn region, a burning question in the mind of all who live here has surrounded the many native Hoennian legends. Previously, we had inferred that as there have been two alleged sightings[1][2] of the Mythical Pokemon Mew since 1895, and the native Hoennians made no mention of Mew, their legends must logically be falsehoods. However, recent sightings[3] of an unclassified green Pokemon flying in the air has caused many scientists to doubt.

While most are unsure about the origins of said Pokemon, many native Hoennians have claimed that it closely resembles one of their legendary Pokemon. A tribe calling themselves the Draconids claimed that it was a Pokemon called “Rayquaza”[citation needed]. “Rayquaza”, according to their folktales, is the master of the sky.

These Draconids also claimed that there were other Legendary Pokemon in Hoenn, who controlled the land and sea[citation needed] but there is no conclusive evidence.

One such Draconid woman was recently arrested[4] for allegedly attempting to summon “Rayquaza”. The woman was seen with a green rock that had golden patterns on it, which could not have been painted on with the native Hoennians’ primitive technology. This rock, dubbed the “Jade Orb”, had traces of jade in it, but its chemical composition could not be identified as it was impossible to break[5]. In addition, Draconid drawings of “Rayquaza” had similar golden patterns on its body to the rock[citation needed].

Other Draconids claimed that the Jade Orb was used to control “Rayquaza” in ancient times, as it would unquestioningly obey the person who had the orb. They called it a cultural artifact, but as we believed the woman found with it may have committed a crime, it was taken by the Devon Co. while she awaited trial.

The woman, after a grueling court trial, was eventually allowed to go free on the defense of insanity and comitted to the psych ward of Rustboro City Hospital, as she firmly believed that “Rayquaza” was a real being, along with other fictional Pokemon.[6]

The Jade Orb was dismissed as a myth or elaborate prank and hidden carefully in Meteor Falls so as not to encourage any delusions. While there was some evidence of Infinity Energy surrounding it, the results are inconclusive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple notes:
> 
> 1\. this author does not condone arresting people and having them committed to psyche wards over religious disagreements. Australia (the place where I live and where I base my hc of Hoenn off of) was a wild place during its early years
> 
> 2\. For anyone who cares, the woman being committed led to a mass protest/boycott of devon that eventually led to her being released and belief in legendaries other than Mew being legalised
> 
> 3\. For those who care: Peter as a name means stone! So this guy's name was literally Rock Rock
> 
> 4\. Steven's password is Metagross
> 
> 5\. Also his user ID (the number after #user=) is 21112014, also known as 21/11/2014, the release date of oras


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, 200 hits! Thanks to everyone who read this!

He falls faster than he can think.

He grunts as he hits the ground and searing pain runs through his body. As he struggles to catch his breath, he swears he can hear something approaching.

He can only hope it’s not an attacker.

He’s not going to rely on luck alone to keep him safe, though; he’ll put up a fight, no matter how futile his efforts seem. He forces himself to sit up despite the way his bruised body screams in protest, but he can’t stand no matter how much he wants to -- there’s a horrific, searing pain in his right leg that makes any attempt at movement agonising. Still, he raises his arms in a defensive stance and hopes for the best.

One of the greatest mysteries of the universe is why Wallace chose to be a Water-type trainer. Flying-types seem more fitting, considering his ability to leap to the worst possible conclusion at a speed that’s nothing short of true flight.

His “attacker” raises an eyebrow pointedly at his defensive stance, staring at him with confusion, and mutters, “So I suppose we haven’t had much luck?”

“Ah,” he mumbles hastily, trying with varying degrees of success to do something with his arms that looks natural and not defensive, with the result that he looks like a five-year-old mimicking the flapping of Flying-type Pokemon. “I, um, I had a bit of a fall.”

“Hmm,” says Steven, caught somewhere between being unsatisfied with the answer and struggling not to laugh. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” mutters Wallace, who is not fine.

Steven holds out a hand to help him up, and he takes it. He manages to get upright with Steven’s help but his leg is still throbbing and he can only bring himself to awkwardly stand on his left leg. Steven notices, and frowns. “I’m never letting you be unsupervised in a cave again.”

“Perhaps that’s for the best.” He attempts to clear his throat and somehow the action is enough to deter his balance, forcing Steven to hold him up to prevent him from falling. “Any luck on your side?”

“Well, I haven’t fallen off any cliffs recently, so I suppose I’m doing rather well.”

“It wasn’t a cliff, it was a rock wall.”

“Ah, a thousand apologies. But in all seriousness, I haven’t found anything. And neither has this Beldum.”

He gestures to a Beldum hovering over his shoulder. At Wallace’s raised eyebrow, he adds, “I’ve been training it to detect any interesting rocks for years. If there was a rock with an unidentified chemical composition and traces of Infinity Energy, I would have found it.”

“Oh, so I fell off a cliff for nothing?”

“You fell down a rock wall for nothing. Come on, I’ll give you a lift home.”

He reaches into his pocket and takes out a Poke Ball. It flies open, and his famous Metagross hovers next to him. Wallace nods gratefully, eager to get home, or at least out of the cave and somewhere where he can take some painkillers and put an ice pack on his throbbing leg. “Oh, thank…”

And under his breath, barely audible as he realises how inappropriate it is for the situation, he mumbles My name.


	19. Chapter 19

**(01:13PM) Brendan said:** Rayquaza is gone and you’re not looking for It. Kyogre and Latias are giving you the silent treatment and you’re not making an effort to please them. The Sky Pillar is crumbling and shaking and you’re not rebuilding it.

 **(01:14PM) Brendan said:** You literally tried to forcefully enter a sacred cultural site that Draconids and Sootopolitans have used for thousands of years, almost destroying it in the process, to train a Pokemon. That’s the equivalent of me going to Johto and destroying the Ilex Shrine because my Celebi wasn’t winning enough battles.

 **(01:15PM) Brendan said:** You’ve shown extreme disrespect for all indigenous Hoennians -- including your Sootopolitan girlfriend, who currently seems to justifiably not want to speak to you, and myself, since my grandmother from my father’s side is Draconid.

 **(01:16PM) Brendan said:** Also, since Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Latias are obviously furious with you, it’s likely that other Legendary Pokemon, such as Latios and Groudon, are also angry. Latios, Groudon, and Rayquaza are loose and furious, meaning it’s likely that all of Hoenn is in grave danger thanks to your actions.

 **(01:17PM) Brendan said:** And after fucking up so colossally that we’re all disrespected and in danger thanks to you, your first action wasn’t to call the authorities and try to reverse the damage done, it was to gloss over what you did wrong in the hope that one of us would decide to come give you a lift.

 **(01:18PM) Brendan said:** So yeah, I think I’ll pass on bowling.

 **(01:20PM) May said:** ...i really fucked up, didnt i?

 **(01:21PM) ali-tara said:** u have no idea

 **(01:22PM) May said:** ok guys, im gonna try to fix this but i cant do it by myself

 **(01:22PM) May said:** i know i cant expect you to forgive me so soon, if at all, but it would mean the world to me if you could put aside your anger to help me deal with this, even if you wont be my friends after this is over

 **(01:23PM) May said:** so will you guys help me?

 **(01:25PM) ali-tara said:** idk

 **(01:25PM) ali-tara said:** i need time to think

 **(01:26PM) May said:** understandable. skye?

 **(01:27PM) Skye said:** … i mean, i already gave you a lift home, so i suppose it wouldn’t make much sense to turn my back on you after helping you

 **(01:28PM) May said:** Brendan?

 **(01:30PM) Brendan said:** Well, if you really want to fix this, then…

* * *

**(01:30PM) Brendan** invited **May Sapphire** to the chatroom **Autistic Geologists**

 **(01:31PM) Steven said:** ? Brendan, I thought we agreed to have a group discussion before adding more people to this chat?

 **(01:31PM) Brendan said:** Sorry, but it’s the easiest way to get her in contact with you. May has something important to tell you.

 **(01:32PM) May Sapphire** changed their nickname to **May**

 **(01:32PM) Brendan said:** I’m really sorry about this, Steven, but this is a matter of national importance and May has to tell you urgently.

 **(01:33PM) Steven said:** Well, I suppose if it’s of great importance than it is worth interrupting our discussions. May, what’s the problem?

 **(01:35PM) Steven said:** May?

 **(01:36PM) May said:** brendan you tell him

 **(01:36PM) Brendan said:** No. You have to admit to your mistakes, May!

 **(01:37PM) Steven said:**? What’s going on?

 **(01:40PM) May said:** um, i kinda angered the gods

 **(01:40PM) Steven said:** ?

 **(01:41PM) May said:** i was frustrated with rayquaza and uh, i kinda tried to get into the sky pillar without undoing the seal

 **(01:41PM) Steven said:**! May, that is incredibly irresponsible!

 **(01:42PM) May said:** i know, i know, anyway the sky pillar is sorta on the verge of collapse, rayquaza ran off, other legendaries giving me the silent treatment, how do i fix this?

 **(01:42PM) Steven said:** This is … really not good

 **(01:42PM) May said:** i know, what do we do to solve all this?

 **(01:43PM) Steven said:** Well, first of all

 **(01:43PM) Steven** added **Norman Sapphire** to the chatroom **Autistic Geologists**

 **(01:44PM) Norman Sapphire said:** May, you’re grounded

 **(01:44PM) Steven** kicked **Norman Sapphire** out of the chatroom **Autistic Geologists**

 **(01:45PM) May said:** … justified

 **(01:45PM) Steven said:** Okay, now give me five minutes, I need to consult Wallace.

 **(01:50PM) Steven said:** Wallace is having some difficulty processing the information, give me approximately three and a half minutes

 **(01:53PM) Steven said:** Don’t worry about it

 **(01:54PM) May said:** ??? thats it???

 **(01:54PM) May said:** shouldnt i have to help fix all this to atone for my actions

 **(01:55PM) Steven said:** Of course you will, but when we do need your assistance we’ll make sure to let you know. Wallace and I have a plan that will work best if it’s just the two of us

 **(01:56PM) Courtney said:** “work best if it’s just the two of us” omg get a room u 2

 **(01:56PM) Steven said:** Courtney, how long have you been watching the chat?

 **(01:57PM) Courtney said:** long enough

 **(01:57PM) Steven said:** Okay, you might have to worry about it a little bit. The first two things we need to do are get Rayquaza under control and fix the Sky Pillar. Wallace and I are trying to deal with Rayquaza, can you two start working on a plan for the Sky Pillar?

 **(01:58PM) Brendan said:** Of course.

 **(01:58PM) Steven said:** I’m counting on you

* * *

**(09:15AM) Brendan said:** Hey Skye, does dust make your asthma worse?

 **(09:16AM) Skye said:** ...yes, why?

 **(09:16AM) May said:** brendan and i are tryna fix the sky pillar but we went there yesterday and theres LOADS of dust

 **(09:17AM) Skye said:** oh, sorry if i can’t be much help, let me know if there’s anything i can do.

**(09:20AM) ali-tara said:** ali-tara.tumblr.com/post/211114160904/addressing-the-discourse

**(09:21AM) May said:** seriously? after much debate over whether you could bring yourself to forgive me for what i did, you finally told me through a tumblr post?

 **(09:21AM) ali-tara said:** oh shut up, u should be grateful i made the post in the 1st place

 **(11:45AM) Skye said:** hey guys can u do me a favor

 **(11:45AM) ali-tara said:** i thought only i shortened words like that

 **(11:45AM) Skye said:** meet me in petalburg forest asap

 **(11:45AM) Skye said:** its an emergency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi, the end isnt really a cliffhanger because it leads into chapter 10, so it's only a cliffhanger if you're reading these in chronological order instead of intended/publishing order 
> 
> This chapter was kinda lousy imo (thats what happens when you take try to advance the plot through a chatfic chapter when 90% of chatfics are comedy, not to mention a "cliffhanger" that's already been resolved due to the chapters being out of order) but next chapter will make up for it! it'll end the arc of Skye running through the forest that started in chapter 10 and also explain some of the quirks in the writing style!
> 
> Also for those who care - the number in the url of lisia's tumblr post (the one she made in chapter 11) is 211114160904, also known as 21/11/14/16/09/04, which when split in half is 21/11/14 and 16/09/04, the release dates of ORAS and Emerald respectively!


	20. Chapter 20

“Well?” asks Brendan. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” you lie. It’s a rather short story, actually. The problem is in how much of it you understand -- or rather in how little of it you understand. It’s all very complex and your head is still spinning. You’re hoping you can just go home and have a nice rest and clear your head before you explain it all.

You’re thinking you can just go home and have a nice rest and clear your head before you explain it all.

My Arceus, you’re naive.

You glance between your three friends, watching their fidgeting. It’s always a surprise how much you can find out about a person just by watching their body language. May’s staring at her feet -- that means she’s still guilty about the whole thing, justifiably. Brendan’s hopping from foot to foot -- excited, ready to act. He must have came prepared for a fight and he’s a little annoyed he’s not getting one. Lisia’s running her fingers through a section of her green hair --

“It’s turquoise,” you mumble quietly, and none of the others know who you’re talking to.

But I know.

“Huh?” asks Lisia, and you’re not sure what to say. It’s like the matter with Latios -- you don’t fully understand it yourself and you doubt you ever will, your head is spinning, you’re exhausted, and any attempt at explaining the situation would likely result in three very concerned pre-teens (teens? Lisia’s thirteen, but the others are twelve still) taking you to the nearest psychologist.

You should tell them anyway. It’s about time you admitted that you can hear Me.

I’ve been communicating with you like this for a long time.

I remember the time when you feared me. When you told yourself I was just your own thoughts, when you vehemently denied my existence even inside your own head. You didn’t understand. You still don’t understand. But I promise you will soon.

You can’t deny it any more, Skye. The stories I’ve told you aren’t your own memories. You can’t explain that away.

“I…” you begin uncertainly. You don’t know what to say. So I’ll tell you.

You need to put your chin up. More confidence, or at least more fake confidence. If you can’t look them in the eye, aim for the nose or forehead or somewhere in the facial area. Try not to stutter. And tell them that Rayquaza has a psychic link with you and has been communicating with you through your mind.

“Rayquaza’s been using some sort of psychic power to communicate with me through my mind,” you blurt out, entirely too quickly, and they look at you like you’re insane.

You think maybe you are. I know you’re not.

“What?!” chokes Lisia. “How is that possible?!”

“That’s … unprecedented,” Brendan mutters apprehensively. You’re not sure whether he’s about to tell his father to study you or take you to the nearest psychologist. Neither am I, honestly. We can’t let either of those options happen.

You need to do as I say if you want to convince them.

Tell them you can summon me at will. I know you can’t -- not willingly, anyway -- but you need to lie if you want them to believe you. I’m close by, and I can come when you wish. We can fool them together.

“I can summon It now if you don’t believe me.”

You’re a surprisingly good liar.

They still look shocked. “Do it,” says May. She’s the most impulsive of the three, now and forever, and she’s the only one that would ask you without hesitation, without thinking through the consequences of Me seeing her. You have to do as she says, just as impulsively as she suggested it, before the others can argue.

You snap your fingers and I’m there in seconds. I’m the ruler of wind. Flying from one side of the forest to another is nothing to me. The others stare in shock, and I make eye contact with May. It intimidates her.

That is my intention.

I can’t communicate with them, so I need you to be my translator. Tell them I said the woods are safe now.

“It says the woods are safe now,” you mumble.

Tell them I’m happy to give them a lift to your house.

“It says It can give you a lift back to Verdanturf.”

Brendan pinches his upper arm, then exchanges a shocked glance with Lisia. At last, he steps toward me, and Lisia does the same. I lower myself to allow you and your friends to climb onto my back, but I rise up before May can touch me.

Tell her she has to walk.

* * *

The place I actually drop you off isn’t quite Verdanturf -- your uncle would ask too many questions, so I get you to walk the rest of the way. May is a fast walker, and she arrives soon after you do. Your uncle isn’t exactly known for being tolerant of you having guests over, so you meet up in the Pokemon Centre.

“So what exactly happened?” asks Lisia.

You need to tell them the truth.

All of it. Even the parts you think are unimportant.

“I was visiting my parents in Petalburg,” you begin, and just that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. You shouldn’t have to “visit” the ones who raised you. You should live with them full-time, instead of being cooped up in a small town with your uncle.

“And?” asks Brendan.

“We were watching the news,” you explain. “and there was some story about an unidentified flying Pokemon, I wasn’t paying much attention. My mom came in and asked what colour the Pokemon was, and I didn’t want to admit I wasn’t watching properly so I just said blue.”

Your choices have more impact than you think.

“Then I went into Petalburg Woods, and He was just .. there. And then He started chasing me. I don’t understand it.”

Neither do I.


	21. Chapter 21

**agendergallade**

ideas for new names (if i ever end up actually coming out irl which is like,,,not likely)

-skye (which is already my middle name so like,,,yeah)

-alex (“is it short for alexander or alexandra?” they ask. i shake my head. it’s short for alexandrite. my surname is already named after a green rock, i’ll continue the pattern).

-malachite (more green rock names)

-riley (is an actual real name and will be more stealth)

-peridot (it’s a rock. three guesses as to the colour.)

-skyla (not too far off from my middle name but like,,,seems more fem somehow idk)

-nephrite (please don’t ask how long i spent googling green rocks for this)

-storm (sounds way more tough than i actually am. not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing)

-fluorite (more of a green and purple rock actually)

-olivine (steven stone would love me)

-chrysocolla (is this a genuine way of naming myself or a shitpost about green rocks?)

-green quartz (the year is 2050. devon’s supply of infinity energy has led to a nuclear war with kanto. those still alive are in hiding, desperately trying to survive the radiation. there’s a child hiding behind a tree near you. he’s been a ten-year-old child for the past 30 years. you glance at him and you can recognise him from times of peace. he’s the idiot that has three middle names and all of his names are also names of green rocks. you wonder if he has an extremely weird fetish.)

-Jade

_tagged: #shut up gallade #gender stuff #agender #new names #name ideas #androgynous names #genuinely thoughtful posts that devolved into shitposts #why do i have a specific tag for that already #am i destined to become a shitposter_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as with Lisia's, Skye's Tumblr icon was made by the lovely @prideful-poke-icons on Tumblr (again, for blind people/people with devices that won't load the image/people who aren't familiar with a lot of pokemon/flags, it's a Gallade over the agender pride flag)
> 
> This might seem like it's just a bit of odd background info/character building but it actually will have impact on the plot.


	22. Chapter 22

He gestures to a Beldum hovering over his shoulder. At Wallace’s raised eyebrow, he adds, “I’ve been training it to detect any interesting rocks for years. If there was a rock with an unidentified chemical composition and traces of Infinity Energy, I would have found it.”

“Oh, so I fell off a cliff for nothing?”

“You fell down a rock wall for nothing. Come on, I’ll give you a lift home.”

He reaches into his pocket and takes out a Poke Ball. It flies open, and his famous Metagross hovers next to him. Wallace nods gratefully, eager to get home, or at least out of the cave and somewhere where he can take some painkillers and put an ice pack on his throbbing leg. “Oh, thank…”

And under his breath, barely audible as he realises how inappropriate it is for the situation, he mumbles My name.

He stares at the Metagross. He reaches out and grabs it with his hands, then frowns. He’s not entirely sure how to get onto it with one leg.

Stop laughing, Skye. One of these days I’ll break your dominant leg and see how you can climb onto Me.

...Don’t worry. I’ll fix it right afterward. I have some friends that know Heal Pulse.

...Okay, maybe this entire plan is a bad idea. Stop laughing. This part’s important.

He tries -- and the keyword here is tries -- to just do a sort of strange hop onto Metagross, an attempt which is quickly thwarted when Steven sees that it can’t end well and just lifts him up. He frowns. “Don’t you think maybe you should have just waited for me before you did anything impulsive?”

“Oh yes,” says Wallace bitterly. “You’re right, I need to learn to think about the consequences of my actions. Why don’t we talk more about how impulsive I am in the house in Mossdeep that you bought on impulse? Or perhaps we could take a plane to the villa you impulse bought in another region?”

Steven frowns again, for a different reason this time. As much as Wallace does have a perfectly valid point when it comes to his impulsive purchasing of real estate, Wallace isn’t normally the type to make cutting remarks, even if the execution is … not exactly as hurtful as intended.

He begins to consider the possibility that Wallace is in more pain than he’s letting on.

“Your house is closest,” he mumbles, which he thinks does a satisfactory job of answering the question without acknowledging the sarcasm behind it.

Metagross flies faster than usual on the way out of the cave.

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want to --”

His words are cut off by the daggers coming from Wallace’s narrowed eyes, and he falls silent.

“I’ll be fine,” mutters Wallace through gritted teeth. “I just need some ice.” At this point he’s not convincing either of them, but Steven’s not quite sure how to go about arguing, and so he places his PokeNav Plus on the table and checks the fridge.

He grabs an ice pack, and some painkillers as well, because he knows Wallace isn’t going to be able to swallow his pride and ask for them any time soon. He places the pills on the table in front of Wallace, then sets the ice down on the injured leg resting on another chair a few feet away. He frowns. “You know, if that does not bring the swelling down I might have to --”

“Not until we have a plan.”

He’s already grabbed Steven’s PokeNav Plus -- they have each other’s passwords in case of emergencies -- and is typing frantically. Steven takes a glance over his shoulder and sees the familiar webpage of his father’s company. Wallace clicks a link and is quickly told by the device that it is classified information. He looks at Steven expectantly. “Password?”

“Give it here.”

“Just tell me the password, you can change it after I’m done.”

Steven does not actually like people touching his possessions.

It’s not out of distrust, no -- not only does he trust Wallace not to break the ‘Nav, but he simply does not care if he does. To others, it’s a valuable device that was expensive to obtain in the first place that they can’t afford to break; but to Steven, it’s replaceable. A quick trip to Rustboro would land him another one free of charge, and even if he did have to pay it would barely make a dent in his finances. Being the heir to a company with a monopoly on communication devices is useful at times.

Rather it’s the extreme sense of closeness he feels with his possessions, inanimate as they may be. It’s the sense that the Mega Stickpin attached to his jacket and the rocks in his living room are not objects he owns but essential parts of him, the same sense that causes him to panic when he’s left not knowing where one of his possessions are, and it’s the same for his PokeNav Plus.

Knowing the password to unlock the screen in case of emergencies is fine, provided he trusts you. Using his ‘Nav to research something when yours is in another room and you’re too injured to get up and get it is … not exactly optimal, but he’s generally okay with it if you ask first. Taking his ‘Nav without his permission or knowledge while he’s in another room to research something, particularly when you know exactly how he feels about people taking his belongings, is honestly just not a nice thing to do, but he’ll let you get away with it if you have a reason why you couldn’t use your own and if he really trusts you.

But taking it without his permission while he’s in another room trying to help you, and then demanding that he tell you his password so you can access classified information rather than hand it to you for two seconds?

It’s roughly the equivalent to if he takes his shirt off for a minute because it’s hot, leaves the room, and comes back to find you wearing his shirt and demanding that he help you unbutton the pocket so that you can use his PokeNav to message someone.

“Just hand it to me and I’ll log in.”

“Just tell me the password, you can change it right afterward!” He pauses. “Is it --” he says a word I refuse to repeat, for the sake of Steven’s privacy -- “That’s your password on everything.”

As a matter of fact, it is his password on everything, and he’s rightfully annoyed to see Wallace typing it in. “Wallace,” he commands in a warning tone. “give that back.”

“I’m just --”

“Give. It. Back.”

Wallace glares, then carelessly drops it onto the table, and despite it being so easily replaceable Steven flinches as though it was part of his body that was dropped. “I wouldn’t have to use your ‘Nav in the first place if you had just gotten the location right in the first place.”

Steven takes a breath to stop himself from raising his voice. “The most recent article on it was written forty-seven years ago. That’s a lot of room for something to happen that nobody reported. Maybe the Draconids found it again.”

“Well maybe you should have taken that into account when we were searching and actually asked around!” He crossed his arms in annoyance. “And why the fuck did you think it would be a good idea for us to split up?! We had a plan, Steven! We planned that we would stick together because I know how to recognise the Jade Orb and you know how to deal with caves and shit!”

“That was the plan,” says Steven coolly. “until you suggested splitting up to cover more ground.”

“Fucking hell, Steven, do you really think you have to listen to everything I say?! You’re the one that knows shit about caves, you should have called me out instead of just going along with it!”

“I did, but you didn’t listen.”

“I never listen! Maybe you should learn to actually fucking stand your ground instead of just doing whatever I want no matter how fucking stupid I am! Fucking hell, did you really expect that anything I say about geology would be of any value whatsoever?! My suggestion was stupid, Steven! It was completely idiotic, it was absolutely moronic, it was fucking re --”

Wallace’s sense returns to him with force that hits him like a tonne of bricks, and suddenly he’s the one avoiding eye contact as Steven glares daggers at him.

“Steven, I’m so sorry--”

“No,” says Steven, cutting him off. “You’re right.”

He pauses, grabbing his PokeNav Plus, and Wallace isn’t sure what to say.

“You’re right,” he continues, typing something that Wallace can’t see. “I do need to learn to make choices that are best for your well being even if they go against your wishes. And maybe I should start by getting you some medical treatment, since you’re obviously in too much pain to apply basic fucking human decency.”

Wallace cringes slightly. “Steven, really, I’m sorry, I was just in a mood, I know that’s not an excuse but --”

The ‘Nav dings and Steven swiftly raises a hand to cut him off. “Juan’s picking you up to take you to the hospital in five minutes,” he explains coldly. “Maybe a little less, people usually round up when talking about things like this. I can imagine you don’t want to be alone right now, so I’ll stay until he arrives.”

He’s right -- Wallace does not want to be alone. But he does not see how being in a silent room punctuated by Steven’s glares will be much better.

As an afterthought, Steven adds, “And for the love of Mew, take those fucking painkillers I put on the table for you.”

Those are the last words he says to Wallace for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who can't tell: Wallace is about to say the r-word in his pain-induced frustration when he realises how much of a dick he's being, but Steven (who, in case you couldn't guess by the autistic geology groupchat, is autistic) is already rightfully upset.
> 
> For those that are ignorant: the r-word (r*tarded, if you really can't tell what letter is censored then google is free, I don't feel comfortable having it uncensored) isn't actually another word for stupid, it's an ableist slur aimed at intellectually disabled people - another person would explain it better than I could, but when I see the word in a medical setting my personal opinion is that whoever's using it is trying to communicate that "this person is (probably) nonverbal and I don't understand their behaviour, so I'm going to dehumanize them now".
> 
> Wallace (and btw, this will be stated in-story later, I'm not just using the a/n to give info I can't find a way to incorporate properly into the story) doesn't actually know a lot about the above - he was basically raised to think it was a synonym for stupid and Steven found it too difficult to actually explain it, so they compromised by telling him he doesn't like the word without explaining why, and Wallace just assumed it was trauma-related or something and didn't use it around him. (Which is veery closely based on the current situation with one of my IRL friends who I trust enough to ask not to use the word but not enough to explain why - my school has a very bad problem of using it as a synonym for stupid)
> 
> I'd just like to say that, regardless of whether he knew the meaning, using a word that you know makes your friend uncomfortable (and that you are assuming they have trauma around) is a shitty thing to do. That's one of the major themes of this fic -- you will fuck up, and you will do things you know you shouldn't do but that you don't know why you shouldn't do, and you will learn that the reason you shouldn't do it was worse than what you assumed. It's mainly in the arc with May, but this is another example.


	23. Chapter 23

**To: wallaceofsootopolis@pokemail.hn  
From: steven.stone@devon.pokemail.hn**

Wallace,

I’m aware we didn’t exactly leave on the best terms last Tuesday. I apologise for losing my temper. I’m still not completely ready to forgive you yet, but I know that continuing to give you the silent treatment isn’t a sustainable solution. I’d like to have a proper, in-person discussion of all this at some point so we can work through it together, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for that at this stage.

In the meantime, we still don’t have a plan for what we’re going to do to control Rayquaza and get It back to May. I’m currently in the process of creating a chatroom so that we can discuss this with May, and I feel your input could be helpful. I’ll invite you to the chatroom when it’s finished. I’m hoping you’re willing to put our current disagreements behind us so we can deal with this.

-Steven

P.S. I hope you’re not in too much pain.

* * *

 **(10:24AM) Steven Stone** created the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:24AM) Steven Stone** invited **Wallace Alpha** to the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:24AM) Steven Stone** invited **May Sapphire** to the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:25AM) Steven Stone** changed their nickname to **Steven**

 **(10:26AM) Steven said:** Hello, Wallace and May. I’ve created this chatroom so that we can discuss ways to deal with the current issues with Rayquaza, as my recent plan with Wallace went awry due to circumstances outside of our control. I’m in Ever Grande with the Elite Four, and I’ll be able to add their suggestions to this chatroom if necessary.

 **(10:27AM) May Sapphire** changed her nickname to **May**

 **(10:27AM) May said:** actually while you guys were doing that something kinda important happened

 **(10:27AM) Steven said:** ? What’s happened?

 **(10:28AM) May said:** uh do you remember a green haired kid, around 10, who was asthmatic and super shy? i think i introduced him to you once steven, he was too scared to say anything

 **(10:29AM) Wallace Alpha** changed their nickname to **Wallace**

 **(10:29AM) Wallace said:** Wally? I know him, he came to visit Lisia a few times.

 **(10:30AM) May said:** uh yeah but he goes by skye now. also he has psychic powers and rayquaza talks to him through his mind

 **(10:30AM) Steven said:** ???

 **(10:31AM) May said:** gimme a sec

 **(10:32AM) May** added **Brendan Birch** to the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:32AM) Wallace said:** Why does she have administrator privileges?

 **(10:32AM) Brendan Birch** changed their nickname to **Brendan**

 **(10:33AM) May said:** hey brendan can you add skye? cant find his account for some reason

 **(10:34AM) Brendan said:** Oh yeah, I think he got his name changed in the system. Give me a minute.

 **(10:35AM) Brendan** added **Skye Emerald** to the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:35AM) May said:** wait he got his name actually changed in the system? how did he do that without being 18?

 **(10:36AM) Skye Emerald said:** illegally.

 **(10:36AM) Skye Emerald** changed their nickname to **Skye**

 **(10:36AM) Skye said:** so how can i help you all?

 **(10:37AM) Wallace said:** I think you should start by explaining your “psychic powers”.

 **(10:37AM) Skye said:** oh yeah, rayquaza communicates with me telepathically.

 **(10:38AM) Wallace said:**??? How is that possible ???

 **(10:38AM) Skye said:** that’s an excellent question.

 **(10:38AM) Skye said:** at this point i sort of just go along with it.

 **(10:39AM) Steven said:** Skye, we’re going to need a more in-depth explanation.

 **(10:40AM) Skye said:** uh, at first i thought it was just my inner thoughts or my subconscious or something? but then it started telling me about things that i hadn’t witnessed and i sorta freaked out. i thought i was hallucinating but then on monday i saw it in petalburg woods and it gave me a lift home.

 **(10:41AM) Wallace said:**??? How is any of that possible ??? Why would a literal God give you a lift home ???

 **(10:42AM) Skye said:** those are some excellent questions.

 **(10:42AM) May said:** hey skye you know how your cousins have a groupchat that your not in?

 **(10:43AM) Skye said:** what does that have to do with this?

 **(10:44AM) May said:** i was just thinkin bout how it would really suck if all your friends and your uncle were in a groupchat you werent in

 **(10:44AM) Wallace said:** May, I’m begging you not to

 **(10:45AM) May** added **Lisia Alpha** to the chatroom **How To Control Rayquaza**

 **(10:45AM) Lisia Alpha** changed their nickname to **Lissi**

 **(10:46AM) Lissi said** : wow uncle walls, good to see u r always lookin forward to talkin 2 ur *favourite* niece

 **(10:47AM) Wallace said:** Well, as long as you’re not going to try to derail the conversation

 **(10:47AM) Lissi said:** ok so wtf happened with u n steven on tues? spill the tea

 **(10:48AM) Wallace said:** I’m hoping you mean “wtf” as in “World Taekwondo Federation”?

 **(10:48AM) Lissi said:** it stands for what the frick

 **(10:49AM) Wallace said:** I highly doubt that

 **(10:49AM) Lissi said:** spill. the. tea.

 **(10:50AM) Steven said:** We’d rather not talk about that right now, Lisia.

 **(10:50AM) Lissi said:** spill it!

 **(10:51AM) Steven said:** Now let’s get back on task. Skye, can you tell us more about Rayquaza communicating with you?

 **(10:52AM) Lissi** changed the chatroom name to **Groupchat** **Hell 2.0**

 **(10:52AM) Wallace said:** Why does she have administrator privileges?

 **(10:53AM) Steven said:** Why is this Groupchat Hell 2.0? Is there another one?

 **(10:54AM) May said:** yep

 **(10:55AM) Lissi said:** spill the tea! u 2 went 2 a cave 2gether n walls came back with a broken leg refusing 2 talk! u gotta spill the tea!

 **(10:56AM) Steven said:** Wallace, do you want to discuss this over email?

 **(10:56AM) Wallace said:** I feel that may be beneficial.


	24. Chapter 24

**(10:56AM) Steven said:** Wallace, do you want to discuss this over email?

 **(10:56AM) Wallace said:** I feel that may be beneficial.

 **(10:57AM) Lissi said:** u torchics

 **(10:57AM) May said:** why do people say that? My blaziken is super brave

 **(10:58AM) Lissi said:** idk

 **(10:58AM) Lissi said:** so whos glad we overtook the groupchat?

 **(10:59AM) Lissi said:** its our colony now, were slowly gonna take over all the groupchats

 **(10:59AM) Lissi said:** well be like galar with all the colonisin n shit

 **(11:00AM) Brendan said:** Hahaha! It’s funny because historically speaking, Galar has a history of colonising other countries!

 **(11:00AM) May said:** did you just

 **(11:01AM) Lissi said:** no explaining jokes u useless egg sharpener

 **(11:02AM) Brendan said:** That happened *one* time!

 **(11:04AM) Wallace said:** so hows my *fave* niece doing?

 **(11:05AM) Steven said:** Lissi, give your uncle the ‘Nav back. Also, what’s an egg sharpener?

 **(11:06AM) Skye said:** it’s somebody who sharpens an egg.

 **(11:06AM) Steven said:** ...Well, I suppose I shouldn’t have asked.

 **(11:07AM) Lissi said:** ugh my uncle is SO controlling, i had to give his nav back

 **(11:07AM) Brendan said:**...So asking someone to give your possessions back after stealing them is controlling?

 **(11:08AM) Lissi said:** yeah pretty much

 **(11:08AM) Skye said:** speaking of controlling uncles, does anyone know how to move house at age ten without anyone noticing?

 **(11:09AM) Lissi said:** i thought u needed to be in verdanturf 4 ur asthma?

 **(11:10AM) May said:** like how does that even work?

 **(11:10AM) May said:** verdanturf has the shittiest air imaginable ive been there

 **(11:10AM) May said:** it should be making your asthma worse not better

 **(11:11AM) Skye said:** *shrug* I don’t like to question it.


	25. Chapter 25

11/06/2018, 2:32PM

PATIENT SURNAME: Emerald

PATIENT GIVEN NAME: Wally

PATIENT DOB: 16/09/2008

PATIENT SEX: Male

SYMPTOMS: Difficulty breathing; impaired thought process; reported chest pains

CURRENT CONDITION: Stable with oxygen mask

POSSIBLE DIAGNOSIS: Asthma attack, pneumonia

DOCTOR’S NOTES: Further testing to be done when condition has improved

* * *

11/06/2018, 9:48PM

PATIENT: Wally Emerald

TEST: Chest X-Ray

DIAGNOSIS: No signs of pneumonia.

DOCTOR’S NOTES: Supposed signs of Infinity Energy were found in the patient’s lungs. This is likely a malfunction of the machine used.

* * *

11/06/2018, 11:22PM

PATIENT: Wally Emerald

DIAGNOSIS: Patient shows signs of asthma.

TREATMENT: Patient has been given inhalers as medication. Further instructions for correct use of medication to be given by patient’s parents.

DOCTOR’S NOTES: Patient can continue to live a healthy life. Patient is advised to avoid possible asthma triggers.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two chapters in one day! Haven't had that since back when we thought this was a real chatfic!
> 
> The last chapter was both really short and really shitty (imo, it's sort of hard to write hospital records when you've never seen any, and also sort of hard to make hospital records seem entertaining) and this chapter was also really short (and hopefully less shitty) so I figured I should upload them both.
> 
> Also, I want to have this fully written + uploaded by 2PM on Sunday so I can show it to some IRL friends. Luckily I don't have school for the next few days (it's holidays where I live) so I'll have plenty of time to write, so I can pretty easily do 2 chapters tomorrow if I need to.

**To: roseemerald@pokemail.hn  
From: peter.stein@education.rpts.pokemail.hn**

Hello Ms. Emerald,

I’m a teacher at the Rustboro Pokemon Trainers’ School and I teach your son, Wally Emerald. I am sending this email to inform you of an incident today during our Meteor Falls field trip.

As you are aware, this field trip was designed to give the students an introduction to Hoenn’s rich historical background by allowing students to see ancient murals carved on the rock walls. Wally handed in a form to show that you consented to this field trip.

While in Meteor Falls, Wally ran away from the group for unknown reasons. He was found ten minutes later, but has been uncharacteristically quiet since. When talking, Wally has been stuttering uncharacteristically.

I would like to inform you of this to see if you are able to help find out if there is anything wrong with your son.

Thanks,

Mr. Stein.

* * *

**To: wallaceofsootopolis@pokemail.hn**

**From: steven.stone@devon.pokemail.hn**

Wallace,

I’m aware we’ve both been having little success with our attempts at brainstorming solutions to our current issues with Rayquaza. I feel we would be able to work together more efficiently if we had a discussion about our recent argument to work through it.

Could I ask you to meet me in Mossdeep at lunchtime on Saturday?

Thanks,

Steven.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "One of your human shitposts" -Rayquaza 2k19
> 
> Woohoo, 300+ hits! Thanks to everyone who read this!

I am the ruler of the winds and skies, and you chose a name that reflected that.

“It was already my middle name,” so? It’s hardly common to start going by your middle name. The fact that it was your middle name at all is an improbable coincidence.

Coincidences don’t happen. The universe is rarely so lazy.

Was it also a coincidence, that the post you made to help yourself choose a new name, devolved into one of your human “shitposts” about how determined you were to name yourself after a green rock? You said it was because your surname was already Emerald, but again, why so many green rocks? Why spend so long researching geology for one of your human “shitposts”?

And why was there one green rock name that didn’t have any funny comments about being a green rock?

Why was that name “Jade”?

Was it named after the orb? The orb that was pronounced indestructible by Devon’s best scientists in the 1970s, but that without the power of the Draconid rituals keeping it strong, fell victim to erosion over the years? The orb that was, by the time Mr. Stein took his class on a field trip to Meteor Falls, more or less reduced to dust and pebbles?

The one that could have easily been inhaled by a curious nine-year-old that didn’t know any better?

May Marina Sapphire is an excellent trainer, Skye. She’s strong and determined, and I admire her bravery in her decisions to catch Kyogre and Myself to save the world. But she was never meant to be My trainer, and I was never meant to be hers. I was always meant to obey the one with the Jade Orb.

You need My Poke Ball. Ask May, I’m sure she’ll give it to you.

I believe in you. You are My trainer, after all.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not publish another chapter today? I was planning on doing 2 today then 1 tomorrow but this one ended up being longer than expected (only around 1k words but that's long by the standards of this fic) but on the other hand I have to finish the fic tomorrow at my dad's house and I write slower at his house because his keyboard is slightly different which means I make more typos and also I always have youtube videos on which distracts me. 
> 
> What I might do is, I'll write the next chapter later today and depending on how long it is I might publish it or wait until tomorrow? but I might also be too lazy to write it today. either way they'll be 2 chapters either today or tomorrow.

Your Talonflame cuts through the air at breakneck speed, and by all logic it should be incredibly dangerous for a puny human such as yourself to be flying so fast. But is there really any risk to think of, when the ruler of the skies is on your side, determined to keep you safe?

Talonflame lands in the streets of Petalburg and you spare a longing glance at your parents’ home. But there’s no time for that. You run into the Gym, and you hold up your Balance Badge to all trainers who try to challenge you. It shows them that you’ve already defeated Norman, and that you must logically wish to speak to him instead of battling him.

“Sorry,” you pant as you walk into Norman’s room. “but do you know where I could find May?”

“She’s grounded,” he says bitterly. “She’s not allowed to have friends over unless it’s to help solve this whole Rayquaza thing.”

“That’s what I need to see her for,” you inist. “She lives in Littleroot, right?”

He nods, and you run again.

You climb onto your Talonflame and glide across the short few routes to Littleroot. You land in front of May’s house and eagerly knock on the door. Her mother greets you. “I need to talk to May,” you say urgently. “Can she come outside?”

She considers this, then gives a sigh and walks upstairs. A minute later May comes running out. “What’s up, Skye?”

“Do you have Rayquaza’s Poke Ball?”

“Yeah,” she mumbles. “Uh, for some reason It does not come back to the ‘Ball even if I try to return It, I think It’s using Its power to override my command or something.”

“Just give it to me, trust me.” You speak with more confidence than you’ve ever had, and it catches May off guard. She reaches into her fanny pack and pulls out My Poke Ball. She places it in your hands, and you know what to do without Me even having to say it.

You hold the Poke Ball out like you’re just returning any of your Pokemon, like you’re just returning Talonflame after it gives you a lift, and say, “Rayquaza, return!”

And just like that, I zap into the ‘Ball.

You turn to May. “See? It disowned you. It chose me as Its trainer. That’s why It can talk to me telepathically. It was always meant to be me who would catch It.”

May hesitates, then steps forward with a determined grin. “Maybe you’re right. But on one condition.”

“What?”

“When I first caught Rayquaza, I had to battle Lorekeeper Zinnia to prove I was worthy before I could use It to save us.” She stretches her arms out to prepare for battle. “I feel it only fair that you should undertake the same test.”

You send out your Talonflame. She sends out her Pikachu. She’s an unusual Pikachu, with a black heart on her tale and a pink frilly costume designed to aid her in cuteness contests. Despite her contest-oriented training, she’s skilled; a well-placed Thunderbolt and your Talonflame is out for the count. A simple type advantage, well out of your control.

Two can play at that game.

You send out your Garchomp, and Pikachu’s never-ending barrage of Electric-type attacks is useless. When she realises it’s futile, May tries a Quick Attack, but the damage is miniscule. “Earthquake!” you command. The ground shakes beneath you and Pikachu collapses. May returns her hurriedly before she can be injured further, and sends out Latias.

Your Ground-type moves are useless against Her levitation, but when she refuses to obey May’s commands, it seems that you have the upper hand. But is that really the victory you want? Slowly whittling away at Her health while She does nothing?

“Pause the battle,” you say to May. She raises an eyebrow, but gestures for Latias to hover back a little. You take out My Poke Ball and send Me out.

“Send out Kyogre and Deoxys too,” you tell her. “It needs to talk to them.”

She obeys, and I talk to Kyogre, Latias, and Deoxys. I tell them of May’s development and her determination to finish what she started. I tell them of your desire to prove your worth and your insistence that you want a fair battle. They might not like May, but they would never disobey Me.

You return me, and May does the same to Kyogre and Deoxys. With Latias now making an effort to dodge, less of Garchomp’s Dragon-type moves will hit, and what was once an easily (if long and repetitive) win now seems near impossible. A few Mist Balls and Garchomp is out for the count.

You’ve lost two Pokemon while she’s lost only one. It seems like you’re losing. But you have six Pokemon while she has only five -- her sixth is a young Wynaut that she wouldn’t use in a high-stakes battle like this one.

You send out your Roserade. It has a similar disadvantage due to its Poison type, but it’s nimble enough to dodge for long enough to do some damage. “Shadow Ball!” you command, and it knocks Latias back.

A few more dodged Mist Balls and a few more Shadow Balls, but when Roserade fails to dodge the Psychic-type attack, Latias’s power overwhelms her and she’s unable to battle. Hesitantly, you send out your Magnezone. “Flash Cannon!” you command, and it’s more powerful than you expected.

Latias falls to the ground, and May looks genuinely shocked. Latias is incredibly difficult to defeat. She’s fallen to other Legendary Pokemon, and maybe once or twice to a long series of battles that slowly whittled down Her health, but being defeated by one trainer? It’s unheard of.

Still, she sends out Kyogre, and you command a Discharge before It can do anything. It reacts to the pouring rain that Kyogre’s creating, and the electricity is conducted and spread all through Its body. It’s a strong attack, but Kyogre has stronger defenses. You keep up the Electric-type moves until an Origin Pulse comes Magnezone’s way -- Water is one of the few types that Steel-types aren’t resistant to, and that one move is all it takes. You’re down to just Gallade and Me now.

You use Gallade first.

He does a lot of damage with his Leaf Blade, but again, Kyogre is freakishly strong and your best and most loved Pokemon is defeated before he can win the battle. You send Me out. The Mega Pendant around your neck glows as I take My Mega Evolved form.

A single Dragon Ascent is all it takes.

Kyogre is defeated in seconds, and Deoxys falls to the same fate. Even May’s started, Blaziken, is no match for My power even when Mega Evolved. Eventually, May sighs in defeat. “I guess that proves that you’re worthy.”

I lower Myself to the ground. Climb onto Me.

You climb onto Me, and I wait for May to do the same this time.

We have a job to do.


	29. Chapter 29

We pick up Brendan on the outskirts of Route 104 -- once again, he’s out catching Pokemon -- and you give him a quick explanation of the situation as he rides us. Then we pick up Lisia in Sootopolis and May explains the plan, which takes longer because May is terrible at explaining things.

We don’t stop flying until we’re at the Sky Pillar.

It’s the same basic construction work that May and Brendan did without you because of your “asthma”, but faster with two extra pairs of hands and the ruler of the skies on your side. This time, it feels like you’re making real, tangible progress, instead of just slowly whittling away at what seems like an impossible goal.

It just goes to show that sometimes you need to work together to achieve.

May checks the time on her ‘Nav and frowns. She thinks, then says, “Ugh, without school I have no concept of the passage of time, what day is it?”

“As in day of the week?” asks Brendan.

“Yeah.”

You answer before he can. “It’s Saturday.”

* * *

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Is there any point in saying I’m sorry?”

Steven chuckles, and it’s not as good at breaking the awkwardness as he hoped. “I’d already assumed you were, but you can continue to apologise if you so wish.”

Wallace frowns. He can tell that any attempt at apologizing would be fairly useless at this point, and the frown on Steven’s face does not seem to communicate forgiveness, but he knows there must be some goal to this little meeting, some hypothetical idea of making up and being friends and everything going back to normal.

“Do you want me to apologize?”

“Not really.”

Exactly the response Wallace expected. “Then what do you want me to do?”

Steven is silent for a long time. Finally, he mumbles, “You don’t understand, do you?”

“I fear I may not,” says Wallace, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“...”

“...”

“...Do you want to understand?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He pauses. “Why do you think I don’t like the word?”

A shrug. “Bullies from the school in Rustboro?” he guesses.

“Would you bully the rich kid that was top of the class in everything and whose father had a monopoly on communication technology?”

“Well…” Wallace pauses. “I mean, I wouldn’t now, but I probably would have when I was at school. I would have been jealous.”

“...Good point. But anyway, that’s not why I hate the word.”

Wallace looks up. “Then what’s the problem?”

“You’re looking at this wrong.” He pauses. “It’s not because I’ve had a bad experience with the word. It’s because of what it means.”

Wallace tilts his head, raises an eyebrow, lowers the eyebrow in an attempt to seem like he’s not disbelieving, and says, “It means foolish?”

“...Well, I suppose it does now,” he says, in a tone that makes it perfectly clear that it wouldn’t mean that if he was in charge of the dictionary. “That’s not what it used to mean.”

“...What did it mean?”

There’s a long pause. “Intellectually disabled,” he mutters.

“Oh,” says Wallace. “I mean, I can see why --”

“No, not like that,” he says quickly, too quickly. “I mean … you know how sometimes words can technically mean the same thing, but they have different connotations?”

“Oh.” This time there’s no launch into a rushed explanation of how he understands, no attempts to act like he understands when he really does not; he just sits and listens.

“The way I always thought of it,” explains Steven. “Is that, well … when it’s used in a medical context, or as an actual descriptor as opposed to merely a synonym for foolish, it’s usually intended as shorthand for ‘too disabled to qualify as human’.”

“But _nobody’s_ too disabled to qualify as human,” protests Wallace.

Steven smiles fondly. “Ah, Wallace. You’re as sweet as the day I met you.”

“...So am I forgiven?”

“Of course.”

The two hear a loud _whooshing_ noise and instinctively look up. 

“Well?” you ask, leaning over so they can see your figure on My back. “Do you want a lift?”


	30. Chapter 30

See, I told you there was a reason I was telling you about their arguments. 

“So is Rayquaza not giving you the silent treatment anymore?” Steven asks as My lowering to the ground allows him to see May.

“Long story,” you mutter. “Point is, we’ve repaired the Sky Pillar now. So do you want a lift home?”

Wallace turns to Steven. “How would you feel about coming over tonight?”

Steven grins. “That sounds excellent.”

“Oh, get a room, you two!” yells Lisia from atop my back.

Steven elects to ignore this comment as he takes Wallace’s crutches and helps him climb onto My back. I rear into the air and immediately fly in the opposite direction of Sootopolis. 

“We’re making a quick stop before we take you home,” you explain.

We fly to the woods where I first talked to you in person, and find Latios. We talk to Him. We tell Him of May’s effort to fix the damage, and His rage is quelled.

Next, we go to Sootopolis.

I drop Wallace and Steven off on the small island that houses the Gym, which is a bit useless, since the heavy plaster cast around Wallace’s leg makes swimming impossible. You continue clinging to my skin as May, Brendan, and Lisia climb off of me. I need you to tell May to send out her Legendaries.

“May?” you probe curiously, looking at her. “It says to send out Latias, Deoxys, and Kyogre.”

In seconds, Kyogre splashes into the pool in the centre of the city, Latias hovers by my side, and Deoxys stands next to the Gym building, leading to several shocked Sootopolitan locals gasping.

“Latias, Deoxys, and Kyogre,” I say, though your puny human ears fail to understand it, addressing them respectfully but acknowledging my authority over them, as one of your human “teachers” would do to you. “I gather you here today to request that you extend your respect for me, to my former trainer. I request that you forgive her for her foolish actions, and acknowledge her endeavors to repair the Sky Pillar which eventually succeeded. And finally, I ask you to accept her as your trainer once more.”

There’s a long, pregnant pause.

Latias is first, always the empath. She hovers toward May, and hesitantly, the girl extends a hand to stroke Her head.

Following Latias’s example, Deoxys takes a step toward May. It’s hesitant, but It eventually shakes her hand, which is an impressive feat, because it does not exactly have hands. Finally, May kneels in front of Sootopolis’s lake and waits for Kyogre to swim towards her. When It does, she pats Its head like she did Latias, and rises.

“You should probably return them to their Poke Balls now,” advises Wallace. “The locals are losing their minds.”

May takes several Poke Balls out of her fanny pack, then pauses. Her eyes linger on the cast around Wallace’s injured leg. “Latias knows Heal Pulse.”

Brendan raises an eyebrow. “Would that work? Normally with stuff like broken bones you just have to wait for your body to do the work.”

“Normally you don’t have Latias on your side,” interjects Lisia.

She has a point. 

“Rayquaza seems to think it could work,” you mutter.

May seems to take that as an answer. “Latias, use Heal Pulse!”

A beam of pink light comes out of Latias’s body, hurtling towards Wallace’s injured leg. Everyone instinctively covers their eyes as protection from the brightness. Finally, the light fades. 

“Well?” asks May.

“It feels … strange,” mumbles Wallace. “Like when you sit in an unusual position and your leg falls asleep.”

“That sounds good to me,” says May. “So who wants to be the guy to explain to the doctors that you don’t need a cast any more because your niece’s girlfriend used a God to heal you?”

You take Gallade’s Poke Ball out of your pocket and send him out. “Gallade, use Cut!”

He does so, and Wallace pales. The plaster is divided neatly in half and falls to the ground easily, leaving Wallace pale and shaking. Perhaps next time you should give him a warning.

“Sorry, I’ll warn you next time.” you mutter.

Lisia raises an eyebrow. “Why on Earth would that be happening again?”

You shrug as May returns all three of her Legendary Pokemon to their Poke Balls. You do the same to Gallade. “By the way,” you mutter. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m changing my name again.”

May pouts. “Aw, I was just getting used to Skye!”

“I’ll still go by Skye,” you explain. “But my full name is Skye-Jade Alexandrite-Peridot Emerald.”

“Bullshit,” says Lisia.

“Hyphenated names are now officially banned,” says May.

“A-Are..” chokes Steven. “Are you named after four different green rocks?!”

You smile fondly at them, then climb onto My back. You don’t have time to listen to their rambling about autism and geology, or about hyphenated names. You’ve got some important things to do.

You don’t actually have asthma, and your lungs don’t care how good the air is or isn’t.

You have a lot of stuff to move from Verdanturf to Petalburg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha, 'tis the end of an era!


End file.
